Interview by Susan Curnow Breedlove
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, an anchor is a reliable or principal support.
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines an anchor as: A source of security or stability.
The Century Dictionary defines an anchor as: In the tug of war, the man at the end of the line, who is supposed to hold while the rest endeavor to pull. Figuratively, that which gives stability or security; that on which dependence is placed. An emblem of hope.
Interview questions of Henry High Anchor Terry Sumrall
Job title at Henry High School: Senior Custodian
Main responsibilities at Henry: Making sure the building is clean and safe for our students and
staff.
Place of Birth: St. Louis, Missouri.
Name story: My uncle and his wife, Cesar Sumrall Jr. and Ernestine Sumrall, adopted me and my sister, keeping us in our biological family. They became our mother and dad. They kept my first name which had been given by my birth mother.
Person(s) who impacted you the most as a child and in what way: My Dad, because he was a hard worker all his life until he died in 2017.
States/Cities of past residency: East St. Louis, Illinois.
Your nuclear family: Myself and my Trena. We have four children, three girls and one boy.
Where you attended high school and a person who impacted you the most in your high school years: Lincoln Senior High where Glen Kylan was my auto teacher.
An educational experience that you have found most valuable in preparing you for your current job: Being an auto mechanic taught me a lot about solving problems, finding the problem and then fixing it.
Advice you give youth who want to follow in your occupational footsteps: Make sure that this is what you want to do and find joy in doing it.
An annual event that you look forward to at Henry and why it is special to you: The BBQ because you get a chance to meet all the students first-hand.
A favorite project or program that you see happening at Henry High and why you like it: The after-school Boys and Girls Club wherein students get to interchange with each other and learn life skills.
Unusual challenges and tasks you have had during the Pandemic: Trying to keep the building clean and safe for staff and students.
Biggest challenge of your job at Henry High in normal times: Scheduling people on my crew.
What brings you joy? What brings you sadness?: When things get done right. When people don’t come to work and do their job.
In what ways are you rewarded for your services to Henry High students, staff, students, families and community members: Just when someone says, “Thank you.” That makes me happy.
What do you enjoy doing the most when not working? Reading and fishing.
My personal and professional growth: I’m looking forward to starting my own business for small package delivery. It already got started this year with completing the certification and licensure.
Tell about an interaction you have had with a Henry student that was so meaningful that it moved you emotionally: A student wanted to know how things work around the building. I got a chance to show him many things around Henry. He was amazed at what he saw that we do around here.
In what ways would you describe Henry High’s student body: They are a very good class of students who, for the most part, want to learn.
How are students alike and different from when you were a high school student?: They are the same. We had students who came to learn and we had students who just came.
What wisdom do you offer to Henry High students during these times? Please be
somebody who wants something in life and go and get it.
What do you believe is the relationship of Henry High School to the Northside and Camden Community and your idea(s) for strengthening it: We have a good relationship with the neighborhood on the Northside. We have our problems some times, but not many.
My greatest reward of working at Henry High is: Working around and with good people and seeing the students achieve their goals.
Whose wisdom do you carry with you throughout life?: My father’s work ethics of being on time and doing a very good job.
Where do you get your strength and balance as an anchor of Henry High?: My God Jehovah.
What hopes do you have for Henry High School’s 2021-2022 school year?: My hopes are that all who come to Henry want to learn, want to make a difference in the world around them, and want to make difference in other people’s lives, too.
Interview questions of Henry High Anchor Yusuf Abdullah
Job title at Henry High School: Principal.
Main responsibilities at Henry: To work collaboratively with Henry’s school community to ensure every student graduates as a confident, compassionate, critical thinker, well prepared to achieve his or her definition of success in the world.
Place of Birth: Racine, Wisconsin.
Name story: My parents gave me my name. The name Yusuf is of Arabic origin and means “God increases in piety, knowledge and power.” Abdullah means the servant of Allah.
Person(s) who impacted you the most as a child (in what way): My mom and dad were very instrumental in my growth and development as a child. They model Black Excellence! They were married for 44 years; they gave me and my siblings a strong family foundation and led with strong morals and values. They provided a safe environment for me and my friends. Above all, they believed in me.
States/Cities of past residency: Racine, Wisc.; Duluth, Minn.; Minneapolis, Minn.
Your nuclear family: Wife (Nneka) 18 years married, Yusuf S.(20), Karon (17), Ninah (12).
Where you attended high school and a person who impacted you the most in your high school years (how s/he impacted you): I attended J.I. Case High School in Racine, Wisconsin. Coach Bob Hayes impacted my life because he poured knowledge and love into his players. I was one of his basketball players.
Describe a school or community youth program you participated in as a youth: I played small fry basketball in 7th grade that allowed me to compete in several cities across the Midwest. It afforded me the opportunity to fly on a plane for the first time as we traveled to Tampa, Florida for a national tournament.That was the start of playing basketball at a high level and my love for traveling.
Educational experience that you have found most valuable in preparing you for your current job:
There are several experiences that have prepared me to be a principal, but I will just share a few. Playing and coaching basketball at multiple levels taught me how to function in a team setting. Being an admissions diversity counselor where I educated students of color on the college admission process helped me understand cultures and diversity at a deeper level. As a career and college center coordinator it taught me about being college, career and life ready.
Advice you give youth who want to follow in your occupational footsteps:
Analyze the answers to the following questions…
- Who are you? Where did you come from?
- Where are you going?
- How are you going to get there?
- Once you get there, how will you sustain?
- Who are you going to bring along with you for the journey?
An annual event that you look forward to at Henry and why it is special to you: Graduation. To witness young people go through four years of high school and reach a very important milestone is priceless. The joy that they uphold when given their diplomas is inspiring.
A project or program that you see happening at Henry High and why you like it: There are a lot of things happening at Henry that I love! The Community Connected Academy has been a program that I witnessed being created from the ground up. The focus on project-based learning, community engagement and internship opportunities serve our students well.
Unusual challenges and tasks you have had during the Pandemic: I am the Covid Coordinator at Henry. What a responsibility!
Biggest challenge of your job at Henry High in normal times: Leading with an equity lens and dismantling white supremacy.
What brings you joy? What brings you sadness?:
Joy: Personally: Spending time with my family.
Professionally: Witnessing meaningful collaboration among our community, families, staff,
and students.
Sadness: Violence.
In what ways are you rewarded for your services to Henry High students, staff, students, families, and community members: I’m honored to be the principal. It brings me joy to serve the Northside community. I get to witness the greatness in students, staff, students, families and community members every day and learn from them through the process.
What do you enjoy doing the most when not working? I enjoy being with my family. I enjoy going on dates with my wife.
For personal and professional growth I am:
Personal: continuing to learn how to live a healthy life.
Professional: I’m always learning about the needs of the community and how the needs lend themselves to the relevant work as a high school site.
Tell about an interaction you have had with a Henry student that was so meaningful that it moved you emotionally: I had a student tell me they can see why I’m the principal at Henry High School.
In what ways would you describe Henry High’s student body:
What we know about our Northside students! They are BRILLIANT and they are EXCELLENT, FUN and INSPIRING. They are TEACHERS and LEARNERS, SMART and SAVVY. They are HUMAN! They are STRONG and VULNERABLE, BOLD and SCARED. They BELIEVE and they have DOUBT. But best believe…They are HUMAN! They are QUIET and they are LOUD. They KNOW IT ALL and they are CURIOUS. They CRY, LAUGH, get FRUSTRATED, and they CARE just like the rest of us. They have SWAG like no other and you better not say anything about their mother. But one thing for sure…They are HUMAN!
How are students alike and different from when you were a high school student?:
Alike: They are funny and curious.
Different: Much more technology savvy. The world is smaller.
What wisdom do you offer to Henry High students during these times?
Keep your head up, stay strong, believe in yourself, take care of your family.
What do you believe is the relationship of Henry High School to the Northside and Camden Community and your idea(s) for strengthening it?: I believe we are working to figure that out. We often work in silos. Some of us believe in the power of collective responsibility. The Camden Community is taking necessary steps to get there.
My greatest reward of working at Henry High is: Learning from our students.
Whose wisdom do you carry with you throughout life?: Mom and Dad.
Where do you get your strength and balance as an anchor of Henry High?: My wife and kids.
What hopes do you have for Henry High School’s 2021-2022 school year?: For us all to enjoy life, family, and school. JOY!