CHAMPAIGN — Before speaking about her vision as Champaign Central High School’s newly-named principal Monday night, Montia Gardner asked a special someone in the audience to stand.
And that, Grandma Alberta Gardner did.
“In the early ’60s, my grandmother, who is with me today, who is 95 years old, became the first African American janitor at Lew Wallace High School in Gary, Indiana,” Gardner said. “As she walked the halls during the day, they asked her questions like: ‘What is Sapphire doing here?’ They called her ‘Sapphire,’” a derogatory caricature of African American women.
“My uncle … was in the first graduating integrated class of that school,” Gardner said. “My aunt … was one of the first teachers of African American descent at that same school.
“What was Sapphire doing there?" asked Gardner, fighting back tears. "She was paving the way — so, one day, this Sapphire could stand and be the first African American principal at Champaign Central High School.”
And with that, and six “yes” votes from the Champaign school board, history was made on the 24th day of Black History Month: Effective July 1, Gardner will step into the principal’s office as the first African American leader of the area’s largest school.
She replaces the area’s longest-serving current principal, Joe Williams, who she thanked during her comments at Monday’s school board meeting, “for being instrumental in laying a firm foundation at Central and preparing me to transition successfully.”
After previous education stops in Matteson, Gary and Baltimore, Gardner arrived in Champaign in the winter of 2022, serving as Central’s assistant principal, then associate principal.
She holds a bachelor’s degree from DePaul (secondary education and teaching), a master’s from Concordia (secondary school administration/principalship) and a Ph.D. from Maryland-Baltimore County (language, literacy and culture).
With a large throng of supporters on hand, Gardner introduced herself Monday night as an educator with 22 years’ experience, “a passion for fostering student growth” and “a strong belief in the power of collaboration and excellence as my expectation for success.”
She said Central will be known for its “positive and inclusive learning environment, where all students feel valued, supported and empowered to reach their full potential.”
Gardner, who said she’d meet with community members at to-be-announced listening sessions, laid out four initial priorities:
First, to “continue to build strong relationships with students, parents, faculty, staff and this community. Open communication and collaboration are essential to building and thriving in a school community.”
Second, to “prioritize student success by ensuring that every student has access to a high-quality education that prepares them for college, career and lifelong success.”
Third, “to work to enhance our school climate and culture by continuing to build a positive and supportive school that celebrates diversity, promotes respect and encourages motivation.”
And “lastly, and most importantly, I am eager to listen and learn more about our school community’s unique strengths and needs,” she said.
She closed by sharing her “family mantra,” which she’ll make a part of her new role: “Once a task first begun, do not leave it until it is done. Be your labor great or small, do it well or not at all.”