Kathryn Winn Principal Donna Monroe has helped shape the culture of Carroll County Schools for 12 years, but her greatest legacy at Winn is the focus on developing student leaders.
As Monroe prepares to retire as principal, she reflects less on awards or programs and more on the moments when students found their confidence and their voice.
“I feel like my legacy is that even the littlest leaders can lead,” Monroe said. “We are a K-1 school, and I’ve set up structures that teachers can use to offer as many opportunities as possible for students to lead and have their voices heard.”
That philosophy became the foundation of the school’s culture through the Leader in Me program, which Monroe credits as one of the most powerful tools she used during her career.
“Leader in Me has been one of the most beneficial things I have leveraged to create culture in the school,” she said. “It’s all those skills that you need in life that you can use for anything. It’s not just for the kids. It gives students a platform to feel comfortable in their school environment and take risks, and that’s where high learning and high achievement happen.”
One of the defining moments of Monroe’s career came recently during the school’s Legacy review assembly, when students filled the gym and were singing together before their all-school assembly.
“It was the most emotional, surreal moment,” Monroe said. “I’ll never forget that.”
Carroll County Schools Superintendent Casey Jaynes congratulated Monroe on her retirement. “During our four years together we have seen Winn grow leaps and bounds both academically and culturally. The crowning achievement of being named a Legacy Lighthouse school is a testament to Principal Monroe’s leadership and lasting impact on Winn Primary for years to come,” Jaynes added.
Her path to becoming principal was not something she originally planned. Monroe began her career as a classroom teacher and spent eight years in the classroom before serving as a literacy coach and instructional coach. Along the way, mentors encouraged her to pursue leadership roles.
“I don’t know that I started my career wanting to be a principal,” she said. “I think it was the leadership around me that encouraged me to go into different positions.”
She credits a former principal for helping shape her own leadership style through honest feedback and guidance.
“She gave what I would call genuine feedback to really help me grow,” Monroe said. “Not just saying everything’s great, but naming specific things I needed to work on.”
When Monroe stepped into the principal role at Kathryn Winn, the school was working through curriculum changes, staffing transitions and instability. She said her first priority was creating consistency and building relationships among staff members.
“I wanted to give this school consistency,” Monroe said. “Consistency with curriculum, with staffing and creating a positive environment where people would want to stay.”
She used Leader in Me as the entry point for that work, first focusing on staff relationships before expanding the leadership model to students. Monroe said success came because the staff approached the process together and gradually took ownership.
“Everybody owned a piece of it, and that’s why it was successful,” she said. “Sometimes when people start Leader In Me, they try to do everything in one year, and you can’t do that.”
Beyond student leadership, Monroe said some of her proudest moments came from helping educators grow in their careers.
“The thing I will remember most is helping grow teachers and helping them find what they want to do,” she said. “I’ve lost really great people doing that, but it’s personally rewarding to me because someone did that for me.”
As retirement approaches, Monroe said she feels confident leaving the school in a strong position and has spent the past two years preparing staff members for the transition.
“I always feel like the best thing to do for staff is prepare them for change over time,” she said. “The school is in a really great place.”
While she looks forward to traveling, spending time with family and discovering what comes next, Monroe said she plans to savor her final weeks at Kathryn Winn alongside the staff and students she has spent years serving.
“We always do fun things in May,” she said with a smile. “They’ll probably be a little more fun than usual this year.”