By Princess Jackson and Victoria Alcindor
Assistant principal Jasmine McKoy is a lot more than just a Riverside administrator.
Sports were a big part of her childhood.
“I was very, very active,” McKoy said. “I was on the track team. I was also on the bowling team, and a student athletic trainer.”
She also had other dreams, too, like working in the sports medicine field.
“I enjoy making sure that my athletes are safe,” she said. “When they were hurt, I was the person responsible for rehabilitating them and making sure they got back on the field.“
Prior to becoming an administrator, McKoy taught students of all ages.
“I have been a former healthful living teacher,” she said. “I’ve also been a math teacher as well. And those are the two subjects that I have taught, and I’m talking from grades pre-K to twelfth grade.”
McKoy taught at Green level High School in Cary, Riverbend Middle School in Wake County, Fayetteville Street Elementary and Morehead Montessori Elementary in Durham. Then she worked as an assistant principal at Hillside High School before moving to Riverside in 2021. She moved from teaching to administration because she wanted to help other teachers do more for their students.
“What inspired me to be in this position is having the leadership capacity that allows others around me to really put forth their best effort for the betterment of their students,” she said. “I also enjoyed the relationships I got to build.
Mckoy sees a lot of similarities between Hillside and Riverside students.
“Honestly, I think that you guys are pretty much the same when it comes to the student capacity,” she said. “I may have to deal with more behavior issues there, but other than that I feel like everybody is determined to just get out of school and make sure they do something with themselves. That’s what I really enjoyed about both campuses so far”..
No matter where she works, her favorite part is interacting with kids.
‘’I hope to bring a different outlook on student success,” she said. “I believe that every student has equal opportunity to be successful no matter who they are or where they come from.”
McKoy describes her leadership style as “collegial.”
“I’m very hands-on and very present,” she said. “I want to make sure that I’m knowledgeable so I can teach others. I have helped them by just being that type of leader and making sure that I’m on top of things, and I know how to inform myself. That way when they have questions I’m readily available to answer them.”
Cover photo by Victoria Alcindor
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