The idea of community means a lot to Noel Keener, whether it comes from a neighborhood or the sense of community shared by students, teachers and school staff. That’s exactly what Keener felt a few years ago when he worked as principal at C.J. Green Education Center in Jamestown, where he worked closely with neighboring Ragsdale High School.
Following his departure from CJ Green, Keener served as principal at Northeast Guilford High School for five years, where he designed and developed the school’s signature Career Academy. Most recently, he served as principal at Parkland High School in Winston-Salem, where the school’s graduation rate increased by six percentage points under Keener’s leadership.
“But wherever I go, I’m most proud of the community I’ve built,” said Keener, who has spent the majority of his career as an educator in Guilford County Schools.
When Keener learned that Dr. James Gibson was retiring as Ragsdale’s principal, she knew that was the place for her. She had imagined she would be retiring from the school as well. She applied for the job and was hired, becoming just the fifth principal in Ragsdale High School’s 64-year history.
Keener began her career in education later than most. She earned a degree in psychology from Wichita State University. After her husband, Mark, retired from the military, the couple moved several times, settling in the Triad area of North Carolina in 2001. After working as an applied behavior analysis therapist in Winston-Salem, Keener began her career as a gifted children teacher at Allen Jay Middle School in Guilford County in 2004, where she taught until 2012.
During that time, she was an adjunct instructor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she taught Introduction to the Special Education Profession. In 2012, she attended the Piedmont Triad Leadership Academy and served as an intern for the principal of Jones Elementary School. She earned her master’s degree in school administration and special education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She then served as assistant principal at Northeast High School and then became principal at CJ Green.
As an administrator, Keener has always loved getting out there among students and faculty and connecting with them on a personal level, and that’s what she aims to do at Ragsdale High School.
“I’m visible,” she said, “that’s the way I like to be. I like being in a school environment. It’s the students and the staff that energize me.”
Noel Keener may only just have begun his role as Ragsdale High School’s new principal, but he’s already exuding Tiger pride.
Photo by Norma B. Dennis
“Sports, clubs, and other events are helping us rebuild a sense of community through this COVID-19 pandemic. I attend as many school events as I can because I love seeing all the students in good health.”
Keener believes that her psychology degree and first steps on the path to educating students with special needs have given her a broader perspective on the needs of all students and how to use their strengths to address those needs.
“I learned to focus on students rather than subjects, which helped me to be a better principal at a traditional high school,” Keener said. “I see education as personal to the students and the families that send them to school.”
She said Ragsdale’s future goals will be developed with staff, fellow managers and her supervisor.
“I’ve always valued servant leadership,” Keener said, “I want to hire, train and retain great teachers, and I want Ragsdale to be my hometown for the long term.”
Keener will officially begin her duties as principal at Ragsdale on July 1, but she has already begun to become familiar with the staff and the school building.
“I’m grateful for the work that Dr. Gibson and those before him have done at Ragsdale,” Keener said. “What they’ve built here is important and I want to continue it. Our goal is to prepare our kids for the future until they find their own path. I want them to be well-educated, well-rounded people and ready for whatever comes next.”
