'You can't give up on kids'

Take a bad experience and learn to use it to your advantage.

That’s a lesson White House Middle Principal Jerry Apple learned in high school when his guidance counselor told him he’d “never amount to anything.” Now 41 years later, Apple is retiring from Sumner County Schools as one of the system’s most respected administrators.

“You don’t look at kids and tell them they’re worthless and you never judge a child because they change,” Apple said. “The moment you say one will not amount to anything, that’s the kid who will be the surgeon operating on your brain one day and embarrass you with that statement. (My guidance counselor) meant what she said but if she did anything, she made me better. I appreciate it now because of the way I’ve taken it and used it. You don’t give up on kids.”

Mark Mills, an assistant principal at Station Camp High and former teacher and coach at White House High, has been named as Apple's replacement.

Mills named principal at White House MS

During his four-decade tenure with the school system, Apple  has opened two schools and touches the lives of thousands of students and colleagues with his inspiring, common-sense attitude.

Apple drew inspiration from  high school English teacher Lenard Tidwell and got excited about teaching. He enrolled at Middle Tennessee State University without a set path and eventually triple-majored in what he enjoyed — history, political science and education.

Taking pride 

Apple was student teaching at the former Gallatin Junior High School in December 1975 when his supervising teacher retired. His then-principal Benny Bills hired Apple to finish the school year.

“I thought ‘how lucky I am to graduate in December of 1975 and go to work in January of 1976,’” Apple said. “And here is the funny thing: I taught in that classroom for the next 14 years..”

He later became assistant principal and then principal of GJHS. He organized the school’s move into Gallatin's Joe Shafer Middle in December 1997. Three years later, he did the same at WHMS.

“It’s kind of hard to open a school at Christmas —cold weather, people on vacation, I want to be on vacation,” Apple said, laughing. “ ...You can’t mess around. No excuses. You got to do it and you get it done.”

Apple takes pride in WHMS, which was the county's largest middle school until 2015. It still houses grades 4-5 to help with overcrowding at local elementary schools.

To many, it may seem as nothing can overwhelm Apple, who knows how to handle even the toughest challenges.

“If you don’t learn to laugh at some things, you’d go absolutely nuts,” Apple said.

White House High School incoming junior Amanda Langford stopped by her alma mater Thursday to see her former principal.

“I love Mr. Apple,” Langford, 16, said. “I like how friendly he is, the way he interacts with children and how he makes everyone feel welcome. He’s been successful for all these years and kids look up to him because he’s strong yet humble.”

Working as office assistant, seventh grader Jackson Amburgey has bonded with Apple and said he’ll miss the principal goofing around with him.

“He’s nice to people and he’s pretty much always happy,” Amburgey, 13, said. “I learned from him to keep on doing what you like to do.”

Reach Dessislava Yankova at dyankova@mtcngroup.com. Follow her on Twitter @desspor.