TJ Principal Sandra Just is a community leader, laying down the foundations for a strong education.
Principal Sandra Just and her son Aaron Cardona. Photo by Mia Nogueira
Walking into Principal Sandra Just’s office to conduct an interview, I was not nervous nor was I intimidated, but rather comfortable and secure. Before grilling Just with my one million questions, we joked and laughed, easing in and out of friendly conversation. This rare and unique student-to-Principal relationship is something that not many students experience, yet seems to be common around TJ’s top Administrator.
Just has been working for DPS for the past 22 years, gaining experience in the educational arena, and accumulating knowledge about the system while trying out multiple positions in the field. It all started out at Colfax Elementary where, at the age of 23, Just began her career as a student teacher for first graders. “I started teaching and spent a lot of my time supporting kids outside of the ‘normal’ teacher work load. It all seemed to come to me so naturally and it was something I really enjoyed doing,” said Just, who taught First Grade at Swansea Elementary, and ESL (English as Second Language) at the middle school levels.
Finding ways to help kids solve their homebound problems became a priority for Just, and something she valued doing. Just found herself helping students after hours to solve any issues that were deemed an obstacle to reaching their goals. She says the excitement from helping students outside of school soon sparked an interest in counseling, which created a new path for Just to explore and pursue. “It was always in my head and in my mind as a teacher that I could become a counselor,” said Just, who then returned to college in 1990 to receive a Master’s Degree in Counseling.
With a new job description, Just was able to test the waters, given the opportunities over time to get a taste of counseling at the middle and high school grade levels. “At every school my philosophy changed. I was always trying to help students, yet find a balance where they are held accountable, and I wasn’t just doing everything for them,” said Just, who was always searching for ways to make an impact on the different school cultures which she says have had such a great influence on her professional development.
As a counselor at North High School, Just’s main focus was to tackle the increasing dropout rate the school struggled with. “We [counselors] would search for students who were not in school; we would go to their homes, hangout spots, anywhere we thought students would be, and sometimes we were sent to very crazy places,” said Just, who says these outings had her thinking about connecting with kids on such different and deep situations.
Though Just says she enjoyed counseling, she decided to continue her education and expand her horizons yet again, returning to school in 1996 to receive her Administration degree. Soon Just was working as an administrator at different schools, starting as an Assistant Principal at West High, and finally working her way up to Principal at Thomas Jefferson. “It was scary to become a part of TJ because it was so different compared to all of the other schools I had worked at. TJ was a school with hands-on parents, solid traditions, and new expectations,” said Just, who has been at TJ for six years now.
Just says the moment she set foot in TJ she felt at home. “Ellie Sprague and Nigel Nelson gave me a tour around the school. After walking around I couldn’t help but fall in love with the students and the school. There was such a strong sense of community that I got just from walking around the hallways,” said Just, who was interviewed by a panel of TJ faculty members, parents, and DPS officials for the job as principal. “There used to be a security guard named Winston who would always greet anyone who walked into the building. Having someone so friendly to greet me the first time I walked in put me at ease just before my interview,” said Just.
Once Just was offered the job, she did not hesitate to take on the offer. “It felt right to be at TJ, and I found it to be a very easy transition into my position.” One thing that is unique to TJ is that there are so many alumni still involved with the school, whether they are teachers or parents. “The beauty of the building is that it is not hard to get the history of the school since there are so many alumni involved with TJ. It is a luxury having such an involved community; it is unbreakable here,” said Just.
TJ Magnet Teacher and Basketball Coach Grant Laman is a TJ Alumnus and was on the committee that interviewed Just. “She [Just] seemed very personable. Most people we interviewed were nervous and somewhat robotic; she was prepared, qualified, and more personal. She made the decision an easy one,” said Laman.
Since Just has taken on TJ, the challenges that the school has created and the goals she has worked toward have all changed. “I think for every school, the goal is to push the students to make it to graduation. We are always trying to increase the graduation rate but building on that school community and culture has always been a top priority here at TJ,” said Just, who finds herself very occupied and involved in TJ’s community leaving less time for her own home community. “I spend so much time here at TJ. I am here before, during, and after hours,” said Just, whose connection to TJ is even stronger now that her son Aaron Cardona has joined the band of Spartans. Cardona is a special needs student in the ninth grade who is affected by Down Syndrome. “My son may be different but at TJ he is accepted for who he is. Aaron Loves TJ; he really enjoys walking the hallways and being greeted by so many welcoming students we have here,” said Just.
Not only can Just relate to many families because she has a student at TJ, but she also holds a strong connection with single parents. “Being a single mother makes it easy for me to understand the struggles that some other parents might be going through. Life hands you a bunch of different challenges and that’s what gives people compassion. It’s about taking our personal struggles and seeing how we can work with that,” said Just, who has two children to take care of as a single mother. “As a single parent it is about keeping your household together. It makes you very realistic and prepares you with what people deal with everyday.”
Just’s ties to the community are strengthened as her commitment to her students grows. “Whenever the citywide student Board of Education needs help or a place to hold a meeting, Ms. Just helps out as much as she can,” said TJ Senior Ruyi Du, a member of the citywide panel.
I tried to compare Ms. Just to other principals I have had over the last 12 years of my education. What makes her so compatible with TJ’s students? Why does she stand out from other principals? Just pursues her students, offering options, which lead them to success. “When a group of us [senior students] were struggling in our math class, Ms. Just put together a study group with tutors that we could use for additional help. After attending, she followed up to ensure we were taking advantage of the resources she was supplying us with. It was entirely up to us whether we wanted to use the help or not; she gave us the freedom to decide whether we wanted to improve ourselves,” said Senior Porsha Glasper, who says she has continued to get to know Just over her last four years at TJ. “It is nice to see how much effort Ms. Just puts into getting to know everyone at TJ. She actually cares about her students and pushes us to make something of ourselves,” said Glasper.
When looking for solutions, Just says it is the students’ opinions that matter most. “It is about what the kids need and want, and then how to get them there. That’s how we see every kid come from every different place and take on an opportunity to develop from, and come out successful. This information allows principals to better understand if all of the plans we are making really are for the benefit of the students. Student relationships and feedback really keep me grounded in the importance of the work,” said Just.
This year’s senior class has cultivated an especially close relationship with Just. “Ms. Just has really kept up with me this year. She was always checking my grades and offering her office for a quiet space to do work. I am going to really miss her next year, always backing me up and never judging,” said Senior Lee Walker.
Just says that from the moment she started kindergarten she knew she wanted to be involved in the school system once she was older. “I absolutely loved everything about school. I was always the youngest in my grade; I was five when I started kindergarten while the others were all six. I never wanted to miss a day; it was very important to me that I do well. I pushed myself to always do my best,” said Just, who believes it is her job to help students find their niche, something they love to do and can help prepare themselves for the future. “As I got older I knew whatever I did I wanted it to be kid-based and to learn about things I didn’t know.”
For Just it is graduation that is always a payoff in the end. “As crazy as graduation may make me, it is a beautiful thing. The powerful moment always strikes me, and seeing students walk across the stage feels as though I am watching my own children move on,” said Just, who has recently seen her own daughter move on from high school, as well as graduating almost six classes from TJ herself. “[TJ Assistant Principal] Mr. Lessard always makes fun of me when my eyes get teary, but he is always the one shedding the tears right beside me.”
When I asked Just about her high school Principal, she paused for a while. She could not remember anything about her principal, not a name or a single memory. In sheer contrast to her experience, students will not be able to leave TJ without a memory of Just, whether it was spotting her at an athletic game, sitting in the back of a classroom, or welcoming them into school in the morning. A family has its traditions, and a school is a haven for knowledge; at TJ we have both, as well as a community that exists to the depths of the school along with a principal to match it.
