Full Text of the Excerpt

BG: I’ve heard stories about the principal, Mr. McDougle. I heard that he had a master’s degree from Columbia. SN: I’m not sure. BG: Can you characterize Mr. McDougle? How important was he to the school? SN: I would say he was very important. I think that his expectations for the students were basically what drove a lot of things. I remember him walking up and down the hall. His door to his office was open and he was sitting at his desk but he could still see out in the hall. BG: So he was right there with you? SN: Yes, he was there. You saw him. And he knew you by name. BG: He knew you by name. Did he know everyone by name? SN: I’m almost—if he didn’t, he knew their parents. BG: So he wandered the hallways. Could you hear him coming? SN: Not that I--. BG: No. He wasn’t a strong footed, big footed--. SN: He had a distinguished voice also. BG: Oh really? Tell me about that. SN: I don’t know. His voice was just—when you heard it, you knew that’s who it was. There wasn’t anyone else that sounded like him. BG: Did he get on the loudspeaker system? SN: Everyday. BG: Everyday? When did he do that? SN: I would say it was basically in the morning. You heard his voice everyday. BG: What kind of message was he giving everyday? SN: I can’t remember anything particular right now. BG: Was it positive? SN: It was positive. It wasn’t--. BG: It wasn’t, “Stella Nickerson, you need to come to the office to talk to me.” SN: Oh, if he needed you to come to the office, he would call you to the office over the intercom. But it wasn’t, “Oh my gosh.” You know. BG: Did he greet the students at the door in the morning? SN: I wouldn’t say he was at the door. But he was around somewhere. BG: Did he ever sit in on your classes? SN: If he did I don’t know. BG: Did he ever teach? SN: Not in any of my classes.