Cheerleaders, hard hats and a birthday: Inside Marie Feagins' first week as MSCS superintendent

On Easter Sunday, Marie Feagins, Ed.D., attended a service at the Greater New Liberty Missionary Baptist Church. Then, she took time to sit and meditate.

Already, Feagins had spent a month working for Memphis-Shelby County Schools as a consultant. But the next day, April 1, she would start her tenure as superintendent, and begin leading a district with about 100,000 students and 14,000 employees.

The work wouldn’t be easy. Many MSCS students came from low-income families and faced a slew of challenges outside the classroom that could impede learning. The district had set ambitious goals for academic improvement. And it was putting together a comprehensive infrastructure plan that would address $500 million in deferred maintenance.

But as Feagins meditated, she reminded herself that she was built for the role. She thought about the students she had the chance to impact, and what it would mean for them. She thought about how the district could implement generational change ― how it could alter the trajectories of not just children, but ultimately, their communities.

For the rest of the day, Feagins laid low. She watched sports. She didn’t do any work. This was unusual for her, but she wanted time to mentally prepare for what came next.

The VIP Tour

She began her first day with an 8 a.m. tour at Melrose High School, then headed to Fox Meadows Elementary. The visits kicked off her monthlong Voice Improves Partnership (VIP) tour, which involves public trips to schools and community organizations.

On that Monday morning, Feagins seemed eager to connect with students, MSCS staffers, and community stakeholders, and her enthusiasm was reciprocated. When she arrived at Fox Meadows in a black Chevy Tahoe and emerged from the car in a white suit, she was met with cheers from employees and the school mascot. Inside, students sang “This Little Light of Mine,” and added the line “Rocking on my TCAP” ― a reference to their upcoming standardized tests.

Feagins hugged students, addressed a room of parents and grandparents, and visited classrooms. She sat with students, talked to them, and listened to the lessons they were receiving from their teachers. That night, she continued the VIP tour with a reception at Red Zone Ministries, where she greeted an array of community members.

On April 4, she continued her visits with trips to Kate Bond Elementary School and the neighboring Kate Bond Middle School, where she wore a blue suit and was again met with fanfare. At Kate Bond Elementary, she was greeted by student dancers in shimmering silver outfits, a musical ensemble, and the school mascot, a Kodiak bear cub. At Kate Bond Middle, she received a welcoming fit for royalty.

On either side of the entrance, a group of three cheerleaders held a fourth up in the air. Two long rows of additional cheerleaders lined the lobby and chanted “Welcome to Kate Bond,” as a drumline on the staircase provided a booming rhythm. Feagins, a former cheer coach, embraced the welcome wholeheartedly and swayed and clapped to the beat.

Feagins visited classrooms and engaged with students, just as she had at other schools. At one point, when an excited student at the elementary school told her he could “turn on my British accent,” she responded by greeting him with a British accent. But at the Kate Bond schools, she also did something she hadn’t at Fox Meadows.

'Memphis is going to be home'

At Kate Bond Elementary, she sat at the center of three tables pulled together in a U-shape, as students sat on either side of her and read their questions, which varied in scope.

Who had moved to Memphis with her? It was just her for now, but some people would come along. What were activities she had enjoyed during her free time? She had, among other things, been to Rendezvous, visited worship centers, gone to Shelby Farms, and scheduled “another” skydiving trip.

Who was her favorite elementary school teacher? Her fifth-grade English teacher, who made learning fun, but set high expectations and told her after she got a “B” that she couldn’t make another one. Who were some of her heroes? Her mother and father, who “represented the best of who we can become.” What were her favorite places to eat in Memphis? As a seafood lover, enjoyed McEwan’s. Did she have a special talent?

“I wish I could sing, but God knew what he was doing,” she said. “I would never be quiet if I was a singer.”

Some questions were directly related to her new position. What characteristics, a girl named Maria asked, did she think were important for a superintendent to possess? Feagins noted the “ability to develop relationships” and connect with broad, diverse audiences, as well as the importance of maintaining integrity. She also emphasized adaptability.

“Change is about one of the only things that is promised,” she said. “So, we need to be adaptable, and able to shift when things go in a different direction than you anticipate.”

At Kate Bond Middle, she sat with the school’s debate team, whose members asked questions about her priorities for students. And though she mentioned ensuring they have “the best and brightest” teachers, she also noted that “education goes beyond the four walls in the classroom.” She wanted to ensure they had more opportunities for exposure.

“When I say exposure, I do mean in the city of Memphis, but also beyond the state,” Feagins said. “So, thinking about how we get you international, and having different experiences … an experience that you go home and talk about, while also providing you the external exposure to different people, to different places and spaces, who don't think and look and feel and speak like you, so that you become sharper leaders in the world.”

Another student asked why she had decided to take the job and move all the way from Detroit to Memphis, and she took the opportunity to both explain her career progression and emphasize her commitment to the Bluff City.

“I think that Memphis is going to be home. I don't plan to leave or do anything after this other than retire,” she said. “This is the work. And I plan to do it in such a way that it impacts you, but also your children, should you decide to have them.”

As Feagins left Kate Bond Middle, The Commercial Appeal if there had been anything daunting about her first week.

No, she explained, though the position was new for her, a busy schedule wasn’t.

“I just have to remind myself to go to sleep,” she said. “Other than that, it’s been great.”

Had anything surprised her?

“Surprise? No,” she said. “Kids always rise. They're always excited. They always have a lot of enthusiasm. I think it's just providing them the opportunity to take center stage, to really demonstrate what you saw with the debate team: the intellect, the savviness the personalities… Nothing surprises me, unless it is something that is disheartening, and I'm seeing it a little too much. But everything has been pretty good.”

Feagins left for her next engagement. That night, she was scheduled to appear at Southwest Tennessee Community College, as part of the VIP tour, and the next day was her birthday.

She planned to celebrate by doing construction work.

Happy birthday

When Dwayne Spencer, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis, heard that Feagins wanted to spend her birthday helping the organization build homes, he was surprised. In his 22 years with the nonprofit, he had never seen a superintendent on a build site.

“I think it's an incredible gesture, for her as a new leader in the community... to bring volunteerism, right from the beginning,” Spencer said. “I love her spirit. I think she’s going to be a model leader, showing people through action.”

Feagins had been involved with Habitat for Humanity ― which provides affordable housing ― for years.

Early on April 5, Feagins arrived at the build site in South Memphis. She had swapped out her suits for jeans, an MSCS sweatshirt, and a hard hat, and with her were other district staffers, as well as the basketball teams from Douglass High School, Ridgeway High School, and Middle College High School.

Including the five they planned to work on, there were 11 under construction, and once they were completed and sold at an affordable price, there would be 32 Habitat homes on the street.

The volunteers at the site sang "Happy Birthday" to Feagins, and leaders went over safety protocol. Then, Feagins, her staffers, and the basketball players got to work.

For Feagins, it was a great way to spend her birthday ― and cap her first week as superintendent.

“To be here with Habitat for Humanity today, with the schools, and all-stars, from Ridgeway, from Middle College, and Douglass High School, means the world to me,” she told members of the media. “When we think about legacy and what we’re leaving behind, and what we’re giving to a community, it starts with us. So, that’s the opportunity today and forward.”

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Here's what Marie Feagins' first week as MSCS superintendent looked like