Dr. Leah Lane is experiencing a series of synchronicities.
She will tell you that the universe conspired to bring her to the principal’s job at the Northeast Academy for Aerospace and Advanced Technology, the area’s largest charter school.
Up until some months ago, Lane, a longtime educator who lives in Camden County, was working for the Dare County Schools as coordinator for the district’s Multi-Tiered System of Support program. She was happy with her job and wasn’t looking to leave, but a moment of synchronicity led her to NEAAAT’s door.
Lane’s granddaughters, one of whom is in the fifth-grade, the other in sixth, live in the area and were considering applying to NEAAAT. Lane jumped in to help her daughter complete both granddaughters’ online applications.
While reviewing NEAAAT’s website and student enrollment information, Lane discovered that the charter school was searching for a new principal to replace T.J. Worrell, who was leaving at the end of the school year.
Lane liked what she knew about NEAAAT and what she read on the website so she decided to apply to be a candidate for the principal’s job.
About the same time, independently of her decision to apply, her granddaughters got accepted as students at NEAAAT.
“It all kind of clicked about the same time,” Lane recalls.
Her next revelation that the universe was steering her toward NEAAAT came during her intensive job interview at the school. Lane said the eight-hour process involved sessions with NEAAAT administrators, coaches (what other schools call teachers), staff, parents, and students.
At one point during her NEAAAT interview, Lane received an urgent phone call, notifying her that her husband had been involved in a vehicle accident. Lane said she turned to a school administrator and informed her that she might have to leave because of the emergency.
Lane will never forget the administrator’s response. She said it deeply resonated with her.
“I was told that (at NEAAAT) family always comes first,” Lane said. “The kids, the staff, the teachers — we are all family. It’s super important.”
The rest, as they say, is history. Leah was hired last month following a national search to succeed Worrell, who departed for the principal’s job at D.H. Conley High School in Pitt County.
In a press release announcing her hiring, NEAAAT CEO Dr. Andrew Harris said Lane’s “passion for student success, dedication to fostering a nurturing learning environment, and collaborative leadership style make her an ideal fit for our school.”
According to the release, Lane earned a master’s degree in school administration at North Carolina Central University, and an education specialist degree and doctorate in educational leadership from Wingate University.
Lane’s eyes light up when she talks about NEAAAT.
“The intention here is we listen to what the kids need, and the kids have a voice in the process,” she said.
Lane praises the school’s project-based approach to learning, its practice of putting each student first when it comes to making project lessons, and what she describes as NEAAAT’s culture of genuine inclusion. She noted at the time of the interview for this story that she’d only been NEAAAT 11 days but already felt like she belonged.
Part of that may be due to the fact that prior to her arrival at NEAAAT on June 17, Lane already had experience at both charter and magnet schools and had fully embraced the teaching philosophy of inclusive, project-based learning.
That philosophy uses a multi-disciplinary approach to teaching. Four NEAAAT coaches, each specializing in a different discipline — science, language arts, social students and design, for example — will work together to create a specific lesson plan for each student.
Lane says the coaches plan for each student in a proactive, rather than reactive, manner. Under that approach, students are not just receptors of information; they’re also able to express feedback and participate directly in the learning process.
Education, Lane says, “is not a race.” It’s also important to understand the needs of students and meet them where they are, she said.
Although NEAAAT is growing, it is still a relatively small school; it only includes grades 5-12. That size, however, allows NEAAAT to “personalize for the kids,” Lane said.
“We listen to what the kids need and the kids have a voice in the process,” she said.
Looking at a current education landscape that includes traditional schools, charter schools, private schools and homeschools, Lane says she’s happy that there is a diversity of options. Not every school is right for every student; one size does not fit all.
“They all provide unique opportunities,” Lane said.
NEAAAT’s popularity with parents and students can be seen in the academy’s growth since its early days on the campus of Elizabeth City State University. Since moving to its own facility at Southgate Park, formerly Southgate Mall, the school’s enrollment has grown to 750. Plans are in the works to expand the school’s physical plant.
Lane says NEAAAT is currently looking at building a new facility on the Southgate Park property that would provide three new classrooms and other teaching space.
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