Roosevelt Principal Terry Houston may be new to principalship, but he’s not new to life.
He takes his hard-hitting, yet caring attitude (developed as a tailback at Virginia State University and a high school football coach) every day to the classrooms and halls of Roosevelt High School.
“Whatever field of endeavors they pursue, I want them to always remember where they came from because it will keep them focused on where they’re going,” Houston said of his school’s students.
He was recently named principal of the year by the St. Louis Association of Secondary School Principals (SASSP). He beat out high school administrators in St. Louis City, St. Louis County and surrounding counties to win the award.
He was recognized for improving student learning and morale at Roosevelt and will be honored at the SASSP awards banquet on May 7 at the St. Charles Convention Center.
This is Houston’s second principal award this school year. In December, he was given the Teach for America award for Principal of the Year.
“I’m quite gratified, but at the same time it doesn’t make me lose focus on the work that still lies ahead,” Houston said.
Houston received his bachelor’s degree in health and physical education from Virginia State University. His talents as a star football player at his high school would ultimately land him a full athletic scholarship. Houston got his master’s degree in education leadership from Saint Louis University and is pursuing his doctorate at Lindenwood University.
Houston previously served as assistant principal at Soldan High School, where he worked as head football coach and disciplinarian for three years. He was assistant principal for two months before he was transferred to Roosevelt in October and took the position of principal.
“When I arrived here, there were 38 known gangs,” Houston said. “And now, we can’t even identify the gangs in this building anymore.”
The number of graduates at Roosevelt has risen from 140 to 225 students since last school year, and attendance rates have jumped by about 20 percent since Houston became principal. Most recently, the school was awarded accreditation from the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement.
Under Houston’s leadership, Roosevelt has implemented several successful programs targeted at raising student achievement. Once a month, staff wear their college t-shirts to show students the importance of education, and in May, the school will host its second annual Day of Love celebration, in which community leaders join students in celebrating their accomplishments.
In April, Roosevelt held its annual ribbon-day assembly to mark the beginning of a ‘new life’ for students. One female student stood up to address the seniors. She said, “I’m always going to remember one thing Mr. Houston said, ‘They can take your glasses, your shoes, your watch, your earrings, but they can’t take what you know.’”
Houston said, “I really believe in Philippians 4:13, ‘All things are possible through Christ Jesus who strengthens me,’ which means that coming to a place like Roosevelt, when people said that I couldn’t, I knew that I could; when people said that the kids couldn’t, I knew that we could.”
Houston credits Roosevelt’s turnaround to his team of administrators and staff members, whom he calls his family. Together, the team oversees Roosevelt’s 1,400 students.
“We’re not successful just because of me, but I’ve been blessed with a wonderful group of people to work with, and we truly love each other,” Houston said. “When you treat people good, they work hard for you.”
Houston moved to the metropolitan area in 1998. He spent most of his early career working for various school districts around the country because his wife, Deborah, worked for the federal government.
His parents, Thomas and Mary Houston, hammered the importance of a college education into Houston and his three brothers and sisters from an early age. Thomas Houston, from Alabama, dropped out of school at age 15. But he always knew that an education would give his children the opportunity to win in life.
“I remember as a child, around the age of 6 or 7, my dad used to preach that you’re going to college, you’re going to college,” Houston said. “I used to tell people that I was going to college before I even knew what college was.”
Houston takes his father’s didactic approach to both his own children and students.
“I tell them when you graduate, you need to be thinking about college, trade school or the military,” Houston said. “Don’t graduate and think that McDonald’s will be a career for you, unless that was best that you can do.”
For guidance, Houston said he looks to principals heading other district schools. His mentors include Dr. Thomas Cason at Soldan; Steve Womack at Clyde C. Miller; and former principals George Edwards from Sumner and Jim Thompson from Clyde C. Miller.
Houston is also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. and attends New Life in Christ Church under Senior Pastor Vincent G. Dudley.
“People can tell you anything they want to tell you, but when you see that they live what they say, it’s very, very important,” Houston said. “Because you might forget what somebody says, but you will never forget what they did.”
Terry Houston resides in O’Fallon, Ill., with his wife. They have three children: Tiffany, a freshman at Jackson State University; Terry Jr., a sophomore at Southeast Missouri State University; and Thomas, a junior at Lindenwood University.
