High School Principal Extraordinaire

By: Lourdes G. Mon

 

Every time I read about a school administrator, who walks an extra mile to help needy students, I cannot help but admire the extra effort and unparalleled generosity. It reminds me of the days when I was a Catholic school principal and I would solicit from well-off parishioners at the beginning of each school year to provide tuition assistance for needy students.

Principal Henry Darby of North Charleston High School is one exceptional administrator who is worth recognizing on this column. Aside from being a principal, he serves as a member of the Charleston County Council. However, what makes Mr. Darby a special individual is he took on a third job in the evenings at a Charleston Walmart, to raise funds for students to need food and basic supplies, or help their families pay their bills, former students, parents in need and even teachers from his school in need of a boost. He stocks store shelves, working the overnight shift three nights a week from 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM.

It was supposed to be a secret, a quiet way to support students who desperately need help. But word got out when he was spotted at work. He started working there last August, when one of his students recognized him on the first night he worked at Walmart. His shifts ends just in time for him to drive to North Charleston High before morning classes start. Mr. Darby said, “I decided to get another job because of kids who really need help.”

Mr. Darby was awarded the highest civilian honor by Governor Henry McMaster, saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, this is a remarkable man. Principal Darby personifies the best of South Carolina, a selfless person who goes above and beyond for others. It was an honor to present him with the Order of the Palmetto. I don’t know if all of us will accomplish what Henry Darby has, but we can all accomplish something. And although we may not all influence the hundreds or perhaps thousands of young people and others that he has influenced, we can all influence some.”

In the weeks since people realized how much Mr. Darby was doing to help others, many have stepped forward both to praise him and to help him raise money for families who need it. Walmart gave his school a $50,000 check. His bass said, “You’re awesome and we appreciate you here at Walmart for all that you’re doing to support your community.” Likewise, people used GoFundMe and Money Man Pawn devoted to his cause raised more than $195,000. Additionally, someone who recently visited his office offered 10 separate $5,000 scholarships as well as an ongoing $1,000 donation for the next 12 months. “I get emotional because when you’ve got children you’ve heard slept under a bridge, or a former student and her child are sleeping in a car…I wasn’t going to say no. This is going to go a very, very long way.” Mr. Carby says.

Mr. Darby said his generosity reflects his own struggles, including the loss of his father at a young age and his mother when he was in college. Somehow, people he knew stepped in to help him – and from his childhood on, he was used to working multiple jobs to get by. He recalled going with his mother to collect milk and soda bottles from the roadside, hoping to save money to help pay for his education. He talked of trips to the dump, not to throw things away, but to find anything that could help them get by. Even then, his mother wished for him to become a teacher.

He described a day at the dump when he was around 6 or 7 years old, and his mother told him to grab a piece of white cloth from a pile. When he hesitated because the cloth was stinky and gooey, he remembers, “I saw my mother put her hand in all that filth and gunk, and she got that piece of cloth, took it home, boiled it in a kettle in the back yard, and made a shirt for me to wear to school.” As he spoke, Mr. Darby reached down and held the long-sleeve white shirt up, adding that he wore it two or three times every week, from 8th to 11th grade. “I am very appreciative of my mother, who had no shame in helping her child to become a teacher.”

“I didn’t expect the attention. I simply wanted to work for Walmart without fanfare and to use those resources for my students. It leaked out and this is beyond my greatest imagination,” he said during a TV interview, noting that he gets his sense of duty from his mother, who impressed on him the importance of giving back to his community without asking for anything in return.

As for what the future holds, Mr. Darby said that he has no plans to step away from his second job and will continue using that paycheck for his students. “I’m going to stick with Walmart. At my age, we don’t ask for money, we just don’t. You just go ahead and do what you need to do.” he said.

Nothing more to say. What an inspiring educator!