Today we’d like to introduce you to Tommy T. Welch.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have been at Meadowcreek since 2003. I started as a teacher and a coach before I became an Assistant Principal (AP). I am from Buffalo, New York. I completed my master’s degree there and then I came down to Georgia. When I arrived, I realized that the education system in New York and Georgia was a little different. I wanted to learn more about how education was done in Georgia, so I completed my specialist degree at Piedmont College. I then wanted to learn more about leadership in Georgia, so I went on to the University of Georgia (UGA) and completed a leadership certificate. I also entered into to a leadership academy for Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) that prepares you to be an AP, which is what prepared me to assume a leadership position in education. I loved being a teacher, and I never really thought that I would leave the classroom, but a lot of other teachers and my peers told me that I should and would become a principal. I always responded with “no”, because I liked to teach and loved to coach, but more people continued to ask me. What essentially ended up happening was one of the current AP’s went out on maternity leave, and the other AP’s recruited me to help during her absence. After that I never returned to the classroom. Gwinnett County Public Schools has a leadership academy for rising principals and future school leaders, and two years after attending that academy, I ended up as principal of Meadowcreek HS. My transition was very quick, as the previous principal died suddenly, but I knew there was not a better place for me than Meadowcreek. I love this school, and I actually moved from New York to Georgia for this school because when I visited the GCPS district, there was only one school where I really wanted to be. I made up my mind that if I was going to go to a school in this district, I was going to go to Meadowcreek. I made a commitment in 2003, and have stuck to it since then.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No journey is smooth, and if it is then it’s probably not a real journey. I would say that the only challenge that has come about is my learning to be patient. Patience is something that takes time, and any time that you are working with people—as a principal, the school is over 3000 students, 300 faculty members and there are 9 schools within the cluster—frustration can arise. I realized that buildings are just buildings, and they only become schools when the students and the teachers arrive. So patience is something that I remain conscious of, and I have come to realize that everyone grows and moves at their own pace, and you have to be patient with people, providing them the structure and support so that they can grow, and grow at their own pace
Please tell us about Meadowcreek High School.
I would love for all of our students to answer this question! But as far as the business of what we do, we are in the business of education and changing lives; I would even say less education and more changing lives as we are preparing our students to become productive citizens. Education is a vehicle, and in order to succeed you have to be educated, and what the system has set up is High School education. But if someone was to ask me when I was walking down the street “what do you do?” I would say that I change lives so that people can accomplish their dreams through education. That is just how I look at it. What makes us unique from my lens is that we truly believe in our students’ dreams, that it’s their future, and it’s their way. Education as a whole needs to change the way that it’s done, and here at MHS I believe that we are beginning to break the mold of how education is placed in front of our students, meaning that there are more choices, more hands on learning experiences, and more internships. Students are able to figure out if they really want to go down that career path, as well as enhance their learning experience through these opportunities. Whenever you have gotten the opportunity to do what you’ve learned, your craft and depth of knowledge increases, and that is very important to me. This is what has made us known not only in the state, but across the nation as a school that is doing well and doing it different. What sets us apart from others is our innovation and the way our school is catered for its students.
We have a strong sense of social consciousness here at MHS that people tend to mask with ‘diversity’. They use the words diversity but it is really a sense of social consciousness, meaning that the students here understand the importance of education and its impact on social mobility. They are aware of how well they work with others no matter their social background, no matter their socioeconomic background, no matter your racial or religion background. They get it, and they do it very well, which creates an environment in which the students leave with this unwritten curriculum, which is so valuable coming from an institution like ours. So when large businesses, higher education systems, and colleges and universities see this, they want to be here, which is part of the reason why we have numerous business partnerships. They witness this, and they know that this doesn’t exist everywhere, and they want to bring this to their businesses. This is what we do very well and what I believe sets us apart from others.
Something that I am extremely proud of is Meadowcreek’s growth over the years, and Meadowcreek’s ability to come together in a way that has been very consistent. MHS has grown for the last seven to eight years, and if you look statistically, there has been consistent gradual growth. I am most proud of this steady improvement, and what makes me most proud is it is not just because of one person, or one organization—the entire school has come together, and it is something that I think is a large part of this organization. When the students graduate they will be able to come back to Meadowcreek and say “Wow, they have continued to get better and better, and now they are the best at everything.”
Where do you see your industry going over the next 5-10 years? Any big shifts, changes, trends, etc?
Over the next 5-10 years you will see Meadowcreek exceed the state standards on all standardized assessments. That is our last hump that we need to overcome, standardized assessments. Students typically do not take the standardized assessments seriously. They know that they need to pass them, but they don’t understand that if we perform very well what that can mean for the school. That need to understand that these are not just exams that we need to pass, but assessments that we compete in. These are exams that we compete with all of the other schools across the nation. This is our opportunity to prove that we are the best. When we are taking these exams we are representing the school that we love so much. So how can we work together to show that we are the best? At the end of the day if we want to be the best, that means everything. You will also start to see more recognition globally. We are working with international partners to begin a relationship that will start to take us overseas to provide more opportunities for our students, teachers, and for recruitment. This will begin the transformation of how people see education, specifically public education.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4455 Steve Reynolds Blvd
Norcross, GA 30093 - Website:www.meadowcreekhigh.org
- Instagram:ttwelch_53
- Twitter:@MeadowcreekHigh,@PrincipalWelch
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