In looking back at his five years with USD 257, Scott Crenshaw admits he’s made a lot of mistakes as an administrator. The good news is that he’s a quick learner.
“My first year as an assistant principal was probably the biggest year of personal growth I’ve ever experienced,” Crenshaw said. “I fought a lot of battles that didn’t need to be fought. It took me a while to understand that relationships trump all.”
Then-principal and now Superintendent Stacey Fager helped him understand the value of building relationships.
“There’s a time for sternness and there’s a time to understand,” Crenshaw realized.
He also began to study trauma-informed care, which recognizes the role trauma plays in a student’s life.
“That was huge growth for me, once I became aware and really immersed in learning about this trauma mentality of adverse childhood experiences and how many of our kids have had things happen that are out of their control,” he said. “It became a real passion of mine. We’re not here to battle. We’re here to understand and build relationships.”
Crenshaw is leaving this year to become superintendent of the Lincoln school district.
He was hired as the school’s assistant principal in 2015, then became principal two years later. As principal, his focus changed to improving relationships with students.
But he’s not without regrets for the mistakes he made early on.
“There is one student that I will remember the rest of my life that I failed. Me. Myself. And it breaks my heart. And that will haunt me until the day I die. I failed him and I wish I could do that over again.”
All administrators, teachers and support staff feel the burden of responsibility in shaping a young person’s life, Crenshaw said.
“Your successes make you feel like you’re walking on clouds, and your failures haunt you,” he said. “Hopefully, you can acknowledge it and grow.”
This year, Crenshaw was named “Principal of the Year” by the Kansas Association of Secondary School Principals, an honor he said he didn’t want to talk about unless credit also was given to the support staff.
CRENSHAW’S path into education was not a straight shot.
Though he graduated from college in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree in education, instead of going into the classroom, he went into business with his father who owned a doughnut franchise.
Crenshaw bought his own doughnut business in Kansas City. And then two more.
