AHOSKIE – Welcome back Mr. Cooper.

After serving as Hertford County High School principal 10 years ago, Larry Cooper is returning as the facility’s top administrator.

&uot;I am excited about the opportunity and I look forward to the challenge of improving the quality of education at Hertford County High School,&uot; Cooper said.

Cooper, who served as interim principal at the school this past spring, stressed the need to raise teachers’ expectations for themselves and the students.

&uot;I must communicate a clear vision and this vision must become infectious. The administrators and teachers must teach from bell to bell,&uot; Cooper continued.

&uot;I am delighted to recommend Mr. Larry Cooper as the principal of HCHS. Mr. Cooper is a career veteran in education and has demonstrated his skills as a principal and leader,&uot; commented Dennis M. Deloatch, Superintendent of Hertford County Schools.

&uot;It was Mr. Cooper’s unselfish desire to return to the high school as principal. He often talked about the need for reform and now he is in the position to make those changes,&uot; added Deloatch.

&uot;Concerning students, Mr. Cooper is dedicated to student success and providing the best learning opportunities possible. He is a no-nonsense person who demands the best from students as well as staff,&uot; Deloatch continued.

Cooper acknowledged that it is impossible to please everyone, but the school must stay focused on the goal of &uot;imparting knowledge&uot; to the students.

&uot;The mindset must be to expand knowledge and elevate the minds of the students.

Every employee needs to believe in this,&uot; Cooper emphasized.

He continued, &uot;we must create a culture in the walls of the high school and make giants of ourselves. We have dream killers within the school who believe they have done enough and don’t want to see us succeed. These people can be hard to recognize, but we must defend against these people.&uot;

&uot;There are a lot of people with broken spirits and we must mend that spirit. We need to roll up our sleeves, identify problems and correct those problems. Objectives must be taught and discipline will improve with improved academics,&uot; Cooper stressed.

Cooper also plans to address issues like tardiness, cell phone usage and the traffic flow in and out of the high school.

&uot;I will take a closer look at certain school policies, how these policies affect the classrooms and create a concrete plan to address potential problems,&uot; Cooper said. &uot;We must monitor who comes and goes into the building and limit access during the day because safety is an issue. Little things will make a difference.&uot;

He added, &uot;we have a nice facility and the community should see Hertford County High School as their school. The community must adopt the school and become more involved through volunteering and tutoring. We also need an increase in the participation of teachers at events.&uot;

&uot;We must become an integral part of our student’s lives and get to know them,&uot; Cooper said.

&uot;Although the school made significant growth this past year, Mr. Cooper has already developed a plan of action for continuos improvement. He brings to the high school expertise, leadership, commitment and devotion to create positive change. The Board of Education and I are doing all we can to make this transition successful for students, staff and parents,&uot; Deloatch concluded.