YAY LEIGH DUNAVANT! Leigh Dunavant, the principal at Mills E. Godwin High School, is today's "Yay of the Day" honoree! Superintendent Amy Cashwell honored her recently at Godwin.
YAYWORTHY:
Her nominator wrote:
"There is something magical about seeing a person do exactly what she was put on this earth to do. Put simply, Mrs. Dunavant is the most outstanding administrator I have ever encountered. Our son is on the autism spectrum, has severe anxiety with obsessive-compulsive disorder, and has motor tic disorder that is easily noticeable and makes him quite self-conscious. Since before the first day of school, Mrs. Dunavant went out of her way to take a personal interest in our son. Mrs. Dunavant warmly and personally welcomed him, listened to him, got to know him and made it clear to him her goal was for him to have a happy, successful and wonderful time in high school. She made clear her intention to make Godwin a safe space for our son where he could be himself and fulfill his potential. Mrs. Dunavant, along with Susan Mitchell, his fantastic case manager, walked him around school before the first day and introduced him to the team of people he could turn to for help. She explained how he could contact her anytime with any problem and she was there to help him have a great year. Since then, she has been true to her word and much more.
"Since the first day of the school year, Mrs. Dunavant has regularly talked with him, stayed in contact with us and monitored his progress. She has called us several times in the evenings just to check in and ask how she can help him feel comfortable, know the right decisions to make, understand his options and be successful. We listened as Mrs. Dunavant talked him through a game plan, rehearsed how to handle an uncomfortable situation step by step, and reassured him that everything was going to be OK. People are on his side. Never before have we seen a principal demonstrate such dedication, compassion and warmth to our son. My wife and I smiled as we overheard this wonderful conversation and agreed Mrs. Dunavant was a one-in-a-million principal. She embodies what it means to be an educator."
Thank you for all you do, Leigh Dunavant, to make a positive difference and move HCPS forward!
• No. 49 in a series. Nominate a staff member for a "Yay of the Day" at https://www.henricoschools.us/yay-of-the-day.