By GRAYSON LEE CAVALIERE
Rutherford County Schools
Paige Jorge is principal of Cedar Grove Elementary and was chosen by Director of Schools Dr. James Sullivan as Principal of the Year. She has worked with Rutherford County Schools since 2009. In this Q&A, Jorge talks about her time as prinicpal, last year’s success and Cedar Grove’s plans for the future.
Q: Tell me about your history with RCS:
A: I came to Rutherford County in 2009 to Brown's Chapel and taught there for five years. It was great. It was right when the school opened, and it was fun to be a part of it. I loved Rutherford County, and when the opportunity came to be an instructional coach at David Youree, I took that and worked there for a year. I really enjoyed that because I got to build my leadership skills and found ways to support teachers and students. Then I came to Cedar Grove as an assistant principal for a year before becoming principal. I've been here for about eight years now.
Q: What is it like being the principal at Cedar Grove?
A: I love the people I get to work with here. It's a big job, but I wouldn't want to do it anywhere else. From our students and families to the staff that I work with, everybody in this building just has a special mindset. It's very collaborative, very team-focused, and in this environment, I feel like we can accomplish so much more than in other environments where you don't have everybody working together. We're always looking at how we can do things better, how we can improve on the great things we are already doing.
Q: What was your reaction to being chosen as Principal of the Year?
A: It was shocking. I think there are, I know there are, many other people for that honor. I also want to recognize Cedar Grove and the accomplishments we have made here, but it's not because of me. It's because of the team that we've built here. That is true.
Q: How would you summarize how this year went for you?
A: This year was really a great year. We made a lot of growth with our students. I think since COVID, every school that we've seen has been slowly trying to get back to where we were. This year I felt like we really hit our groove, and our kids are up to where they need to be. Overall, teacher morale was really high because of the supportive atmosphere we have here.
Q: What's next for Cedar Grove?
A: We're going to continue to build on the strengths we have. We're going to be an ION school this year. That's something we are exploring and talking about with staff. I won't tease that too much, but we have a lot of ideas. What we will see is a continued focus on students and our families and supporting the whole child. We have kids from all different backgrounds and different countries who speak different languages. They all need us to come together and figure out how to best support them. That's what we do here at Cedar Grove.
Q: What advice do you have for younger teachers or educators who may consider stepping into leadership roles?
A: Do it. There are a million ways to be a leader in a building. I love to see a teacher grow in leadership. Whenever I interview people and whenever I work with my teachers, I'm trying to figure out their goals and how I can help them get there, and a lot of times its leadership in one capacity or another.
Q: What else would you add about being chosen as Principal of the Year?
A: I would just say that being an administrator at the school level or, you know, especially in education right now, there can be challenges. But I love what I do because of the changes I get to see made around me. The growth I see in my students, staff, and myself. I'm so grateful to work in a country where I'm supported, not just within the building and by the people here at Cedar Grove, but it's all the support we have at Central Office. I truly believe this is an incredible district. I have teachers come from all over the country, even the world, and they have said time and time again how different our schools and district are. I just want to note I think that is something really special.
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