Havre de Grace Elementary Principal Says Goodbye After 10 Years

HAVRE DE GRACE, MD — A fixture of Havre de Grace Elementary School will be moving elsewhere in Harford County.

Ron Wooden — the principal at Havre de Grace Elementary School for the last 10 years — was presented with a serenade by students, messages of appreciation and elbow bumps to mark his final day there Monday before he embarks on his next chapter as principal of William Paca/Old Post Road Elementary School, according to The Aegis.

During his time at Havre de Grace, Wooden was credited with adding a Harry Potter-inspired "house" system to the elementary school and coming up with the saying: "We are the Grace," the newspaper reported.

The "house" system at Havre de Grace Elementary School was reportedly inspired by something that came from Georgia.

The Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta in 2017 started separating students using Harry Potter-themed houses to motivate them to be competitive and creative.

Wooden also helped launch the tradition of the Warrior Walk in 2016, when seniors graduating from Havre de Grace High School walk to Havre de Grace Elementary School in their caps and gowns. Once on campus, the seniors high-five the Little Warriors and Havre de Grace Elementary School staff.

That idea also originated out of state. It was inspired by a school in Texas that released a video of a similar tradition that Wooden and Brad Spence, assistant principal at Havre de Grace High School, saw and recreated.

See Also:

• Students Return To Magical HdG Elementary
• Warrior Walk Inspires Havre de Grace Students: VIDEO
• Facebook Keeps HdG Elementary Together During Coronavirus Closure