Steve Drye will be the new principal for East Mecklenburg High School in the 2024-2025 school year following Rick Parker’s retirement. In order to get more acquainted with him we had our Instagram followers give us questions to ask him directly in a Q+A. Follow us @emhseaglenews to be a part of more opportunities like this one.
Interview prepped and conducted by Anthony Frederick (Online Editor-in-Chief) and Cleo Strauss (Editor-in-Chief)
Q: As your first year as principal of East Meck is approaching fast, how are you feeling? – East Meck Eagle Staff
A: “I feel really excited. I’ve been at Mint Hill for 13 years so I think there’s certainly a level of the unknown, figuring out who everybody is, figuring out how everything runs. I’m also a real organized person. At the schools I’ve been at everything goes like this because we organize them that way. I feel like those things are in place at East, too- I just have to get in and discover them.
Q: What made you want to be principal of East Meck? – Senior Katia Torres
A: “I started out [as a principal] in elementary school then went to middle school, so I’ve never been principal in a high school. I just think it’s very exciting to work with kids who are about to become adults. Your whole career as an educator, you tell kids it’s gonna matter. When you get ready to go to college and go out into the real world, get a job, go to the military, whatever it is you’re going to do, this matters. So I think it’d be really exciting to work with kids who are about to make that decision about what they’re going to do as adults.”
Q: What do you think of this school from what you’ve seen or heard? – Junior Jaslene Macon-Montalovo
A: “I know Rick Parker pretty well; he’s a friend. I’ve had a chance to go by and visit the school and I did a lot of research before I decided to apply so I’m really excited to just come in here and get to be a part of it. It sounds like you have very involved parents. You’re very motivated students in turn, no matter what it is that you’re pursuing. I know the IB program is awesome. I’ve heard a lot about the fine arts department. So I know that there’s there’s a rich tradition at the school and there’s a lot of history. So I’m excited about coming and being a part of it.”
Q: How will being a principal at a high school differ from being at a middle school? – Meagan Allen-Slattery, parent
A: “I think everything’s just bigger. You have about 2,500 kids. The biggest school I’ve ever been principal of had about 1,350 kids. But I think the thing too is that the students will be more motivated because they’ll be closer to becoming those adults we were talking about.”
Q: How are you going to make East Meck better for students? – Sophomore Scarlet Sears
A: “I can’t wait to get involved and hear the student’s perspective. You have a little bit of that in middle school but not not really. I really believe in collaboration. And I think you make the best choices when you get smart people working together. So I’m excited about having the opportunity to get input from people about what needs to change and what needs to be different. I’m going to start out by meeting with staff and having some questions for them. What should we change? What should never change? Just to kind of get a feeling for the staff. I will also have some opportunities for students and parents to come in and talk about various things.”
Q: Are you going to dress up for spirit days? – Senior Swarnim Maid
A: “Yes, I’m sure I will. For sure, I will. I know Mr. Parker used to wear a Batman costume or something in the past. I don’t know. I think I’m more of a Spider-Man or Wolverine guy.”
Q: What is your style of leadership? – Sophomore Natori Sumpter
A: “I think it’s absolutely about teamwork. I don’t believe in micromanagement. I believe in finding strong people and helping them develop their talents. When people show that they have the ability, I give them freedom and accountability to go out and do their jobs. I know that the admin team is really, really strong here. I’ve met probably half of them so far. My first impression is that they really know what they’re doing. So, my leadership style is to come in, learn, ask questions, find out about the school, then go from there. Certainly, I am very, very organized. That is something that I think will help me to learn more in this kind of expanded scope of high school.”
Q: How do you plan to address and communicate with students and parents? -Tracy Brown, parent
A: “This year at Mint Hill we did ParentSquare and really got away from ConnectED. That was a big plus for us. I think our school sent out close to 1,000 posts this year and almost 30,000 direct messages to parents and students. That’s a great tool. Along with that, we also sent out a weekly message through ParentSquare. I will certainly use those kind of tools, as well as some in-person opportunities to get to know me. We’re working on some kind of meet-and-greet soon where parents could drop in and talk- just an opportunity to put a name to a face and get to start knowing people.”
Q: What kind of relationship are you hoping to build with East students? – Senior Jessie Wilson
A: “I think just being there. I know Rick was out everywhere all the time, talking to everybody and certainly being available, being in classes, being in lunches, being in extracurricular activities and really just getting to know people, getting to know the kids and what they’re interested in, talking to them about their lives, what they’re thinking about doing after high school. What’s going well in high school, what are some of the challenges or things we can do to help you meet those challenges? Really just getting to know the kids as people as well as students at the school.”
Q: What kind of music do you listen to? – Senior Jae Gadson
A: “I love music, actually. I mainly like old music and it’s very varied. I’m not a very big country music fan, other than maybe some of the old stuff like Johnny Cash. I like 90’s rap, I like 70’s, 80’s, 90’s music, rap, hard rock, metal, instrumentals, classical music. If I could do one thing that I can’t do now I would be a great guitar player. That would be really awesome.”
Q: What is your favorite ice cream flavor? – Senior Mattingly Stark
A: “I like the Brambleberry Crisp at Jenny’s. It’s really good. They also have the Sparkling Cherry Pie which is really good. I like fruity stuff for ice cream.”
Q: What is your favorite sport? – Kesha N
A: “Probably the NFL. I love professional football. I like college football okay, but I like the NFL. Then I like college basketball. I grew up a Tarheel fan- my wife went to Carolina, my daughter’s at Carolina. So March Madness is probably my favorite sporting event because it’s just so crazy. But as far as watching every game, NFL.”
Q: Where did you go to school? – East Meck Eagle Staff
A: “I’m actually a native Charlottean. I grew up here, went to Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, graduated from Garinger in 1986. I always liked school, I just wasn’t really sure exactly what I wanted to do when I graduated. I have a degree in biology from UNC Charlotte. I thought I wanted to be a doctor and the more I learned about medical school and the long hours, I didn’t really want to do that anymore. So I ended up working at a summer camp the summer after I graduated and I really liked working with small kids. So after a two month trial at Carolina Law School, I realized I didn’t want to do that either. So I went back to UNCC, got a teaching license and taught elementary school. After that I went into administration as assistant-principal for three years. Then I became an elementary school principal. And I’ve been at Mint Hill for the last 13 years.”
Q: What is your favorite restaurant? – East Meck Eagle Staff
A: “Probably Midwood Smokehouse. I mean, I eat out way too often, but I love Midwood Smokehouse. Almost every Friday night my wife and I go to Midwood Smokehouse. I like Mama Ricotta’s, I like Sabor, so those are probably the three places we go to the most.”
Q: What are you known for? – East Meck Eagle Staff
A: ” I think [my students] know me for the importance of relationships. I think that’s what matters. It’s always family first. It’s a given that everybody’s at school to work hard. Kids are there to work hard and learn a lot. But people come before task and I think that everywhere I’ve been as a principal I’ve had great relationships with the staff. Some of them I’ve hired at subsequent schools. Maybe here there may be people that will come and wanna work at East Meck one day that I’ve worked with in the past. But I think that’s what I’m known for. That I care about people and that relationships with people really matter.”
Q: Most principals get four years to connect with students before graduation. However, you will only get one year with the class of 2025. Do you have a message for this year’s seniors? – East Meck Eagle Staff
A: “Knowing that you’re going to be gone in a year, I definitely want to get involved with you as much as possible and get to know you as much as possible. And if there’s anything we can do to help you prepare for your next year, I absolutely want to be involved in doing that.”
