by Jackie Nunnery
One of the things that 2007 Lancaster High School (LHS) graduate Quintese Kenner loves about her new job is “walking the same halls as I did when I was a student.”
Kenner says it makes a difference when students learn that their new assistant principal was once an LHS student herself before going to college and returning to give back to the community. “It shows them ‘You can do it, too,’” she said.
Kenner started in the role in December when former assistant principal Mary Catherine Jones stepped in as principal following the exit of Tara Booth.
It is a role Kenner never dreamed of as a high school senior. She had “absolutely no plans to become an educator,” she said with a laugh, instead thinking she would study criminal justice and become a lawyer.
Kenner went on to earn a bachelor’s in sociology from Norfolk State University and a master’s in special education from the University of Phoenix. She spent seven years as a special education teacher in Essex and Richmond counties before deciding to move on to education administration, because she wanted to “make more of an impact.”
Kenner earned a preK-12 administration and supervision endorsement from Longwood University in August and served as an administrative intern at Richmond County’s elementary/middle school before assuming her new role, which Kenner described as a “perfect fit.”
“I feel at home here and I’m looking forward to being visible and building positive relationships,” she said.
