After 22 years of leadership, dedication, and a heart-felt connection to de Toledo High school, Principal Ms. Ellen Howard will be retiring at the end of the school year. She has been the only principal in de Toledo history, providing steady leadership through all the ups and downs.
Her career began in the Burbank school district where she taught for three years. Shortly after, she made her way to Steven S. Wise Middle School, now known as Milken. While she was there, she helped develop the math program and after that, she earned a masters degree in educational leadership, so she could become principal of the middle school. She worked at Steven. S. Wise for 23 years before helping to form New Jewish Community High School (NJCHS), now named de Toledo.
At both Steven S. Wise and New Jewish High School, Ms. Howard worked alongside Dr. Bruce Powell, the founder of de Toledo and head of school for 16 years. Ms. Howard and Dr. Powell are close friends, a friendship that has lasted for over 30 years. Dr. Powell said, “She has been to our house for Shabbos” and “we still go out for breakfast three, four, five times a year.”
Working together also came naturally to them. Dr. Powell described their ability to easily communicate, “We knew each other’s thinking and that made it more fun because she knows when I’m joking or being serious.”
During the first 2 years of the school, Dr. Powell served in a role taking the jobs of both principal and head of school. There wasn’t a person for each role simply because the school was so small. With around 40 students total, all but one being a 9th grader, the school didn’t need a large administration.
Once the school grew larger and needed a separate role for the principal, Ms. Howard took on the role. Dr. Powell recognized Ms. Howard’s ability to lead after just a year of knowing her. Dr. Powell said that Ms. Howard has “exceptional organizational skills…and engenders respect from faculty.”
Ms. Howard’s skills and traits are what make her a great principal. Ms. Yarnell, current head of the dance department at dTHS and a former student of Ms. Howard’s said, “I would describe her leadership style as kind, calm, and grounded.”
Out of all the amazing aspects of our school, Ms. Howard said, “The thing I’ll miss the most about dTHS is the community. It was a very hard decision for me [to choose to retire].”
Every faculty member has a white mug with gold and maroon writing of their name. When the school first opened, Ms. Howard, with her own money, bought the customized mugs for each faculty member. These mugs are still a piece of de Toledo today. Each teacher, when joining the school, gets their own one to enjoy. It’s a small piece of her legacy that will remain even after she leaves.
Ms. Howard will be remembered for both her dedication to the school and the impact she had on each and every student. As Dr. Powell shared, Ms. Howard is leaving “a legacy of not only academic excellence, but excellence in soul.”
