You Did Good, Corey Gardenhour

I wrote this two days ago. I have seen the vultures of professional jealousy circling for some time. I knew this ASC temper tantrum would have a final act. We have warned about this potential for months. And for those who said that we were making a mountain out of a mole hill….well, now you see.

……<begin> I first met Corey near the turn of this current century. Ha! That makes me feel so old to write that, but it’s true. Sorry, Corey.

He came to work at my school, and I hadn’t seen Corey in a few days. So, I called him. Kidney stones. Even then, they were bad. I went to his house. He maybe was on the couch and had been throwing up for a few days. I knew right then he was tough.

In the coming years, I would learn how good he was at his job. We would work together for a time. They were glorious years. We took good care of our students and their families. We learned to be great communicators with our stakeholders. Like most great things, those times were far too short.

One of my favorite stories is when Corey earned is degree in educational leadership. Nobody thought he could get a job. By the end of the summer, he had his first principal’s job. He would eventually move to Central Office. He would be director of personnel, director of SpEd, assistant superintendent, and eventually superintendent. Corey often says that the only way that he ever got better was to try something that nobody thought he could do.

He took the right path. He learned every job at his new(not Kingsport) Central Office before he became the superintendent. He took no shortcuts which I kind of think epitomizes his work. He was methodical.

I witnessed Corey make decision after decision as superintendent which were best for families. Always the great communicator and always calm under fire, he had a great run. Eventually, he was faced with a decision which he easily could have swept under the rug. Instead, he handled it in usual Corey fashion…he hit it head on. The political fallout was costly, but come hell or high water…he was going to do what was right for his system.

Corey is a great fundraiser for educational causes. I have never met better. He is a builder at heart. Elizabethton got a new stadium and a state football title to go with it. He built relationships w/ the Jobs’ Foundation. Heck, he was even invited to testify before Congress about the innovative things that he had done as the system head. In true Corey fashion, he let someone else speak in his place. He is never one to take the glory. Maybe my favorite thing about Corey Gardenhour is that he is not a self-promoter.

Eventually, Corey would find his way back to Kingsport as principal of Ross N Robinson Middle School. He retooled RNR into a thriving, healthy culture where people were lined up to work there. Parents were lined up to send their kids there. He allowed his parent organizations to build a juggernaut.

People enjoy working for him. Now, that doesn’t mean he is a pushover. He just lets people do their jobs. He hires great people and gets out of their way.

So today I just want to take some time at the end of the school year and thank a man who dared to come back to Kingsport and help. There are few people in my life who I would trust my life and my kids’ lives with, but he and Dianna are the top of that list. <end>…….

Thank you, Corey, for putting up with the bullshit that only ASC’s brood of vipers can produce. Thank you for shielding our children and teachers from it. Thank you for refusing to bow down before Haman.

ASC and the BOE have dishonored our school system today. During tough times, we find out the true character of people. At least, now we know. Believe them when they show you who they are. This was evil. I can’t imagine their next move will be a move of goodness. I am grieved I ever voted for these folks. Their inaction is beyond shameful and is cowardly. This will not be forgotten.

Corey, my brother, thank you for coming back and trying to help. You can now join the long line of innovative professionals who have been eaten alive by this place. On behalf of the good people of Kingsport, I want to apologize for how you and your family have been treated by this school system.

Thank you for daring to share your brand with us. We are beyond thankful…and angry.

And you better believe we have a plan moving forward….dang straight. We are about to take our system back. Stay tuned.

Please, please, write your superintendent and BOE members in order to express your displeasure. Don’t expect a lot, but write anyway. But first, take a minute and write Corey and Dianna a thank you for putting up with this crap.

‘Cause the God of the mountain
Is the God of the valley…

You turn graves into garden
You turn bones into armies
You turn seas into highways
You’re the only one who can

Songwriters: Christopher Joel Brown / Steven Furtick / Brandon Lake / Tiffany HammerGraves Into Gardens lyrics © Be Essential Songs, Bethel Music Publishing, Maverick City Publishing Worldwide, Brandon Lake Music

And in the midst of the storm, we still praise God Almighty.