Sports is the carrot that dangles in front of students for them to get their education, Dondre Harris said.
“I remember in high school, there were some kids, if you didn’t have sports, they wouldn’t be at school,” Harris said. “I call sports a trampoline — you’ve got to jump onto sports to achieve something else.
“If you want to play for your school, you’ve got to be a student. I think sports play a huge role in education.”
Harris was recently named the new principal at Davis Elementary School for the Bryant School District. He has been with the district since 2012, serving as an assistant football coach, a wrestling coach and an elementary physical education teacher. In 2016, he was hired as an assistant principal at Bryant High School.
“[Being an elementary PE teacher] was the best job in the district,” Harris said. “When you teach elementary PE, 90 percent of your kids want to come to your class.
“They are foaming at the month. Don’t let them cancel PE — we will have problems.”
Harris replaces Michele Lewis, who was hired as the new principal for Parkway Elementary School, the brand-new elementary school slated to open this fall in Bryant.
“I have always wanted to be a principal,” Harris said. “My son (Dondre Harris Jr.) is going to be a kindergartner, so it will be interesting for him and for me, too.”
Harris, who lives in Alexander, graduated from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education. He graduated from Eudora High School in 2001. He completed a master’s degree in education administration from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, then earned certification in educational leadership from Arkansas State University-Jonesboro.
“Davis is moving in the right direction,” Harris said. “I can remember last year being at our districtwide meeting — they were spotlighted because of their test scores.
“I just hope to be a part of their trend and continue to grow. I want to keep it afloat and take it to new heights.”
Harris also volunteers and serves on the board for the Boys & Girls of Club of Bryant.
“The Boys & Girls Club of Bryant is very diligent in searching and vetting the right community leaders to serve on our board of directors,” CEO Suzanne Passmore said. “We feel like we hit a home run with Dondre. He embodies everything we are looking for in a board member.
“He is someone who strengthens our board’s breadth of talent in so many ways. Just like with his leadership at the school-district level, he brings a wealth of time, talent and treasure immediately to the table.”
Passmore said one thing that stands out in her mind is his “ability to reach kids, especially those who are struggling or are at a crossroads in their life.” As an assistant principal, Harris has prided himself in the relationships he has with the students.
“I had a lot of them tell me they were upset because I am leaving,” he said. “We also had our first black-history program that I got a chance to head up.
“The biggest part is just connecting with kids. You can’t measure that stuff.”
Harris said one of the reasons he is so involved with the club is the fact that he spent time in one as a kid growing up in the state of Nevada.
“When I attended the Boys & Girls Club of Western Nevada, my mom came and picked me up one day and saw that I was on the brochure, playing basketball,” he said. “She picked up several copies and showed them off. I still have one at my house.
“I never even thought about being on the [Boys & Girls Club] board. I just wanted to volunteer.”
“He shows them how to accept responsibility for their actions without using excuses or blaming others,” Passmore said. “He has mentored many of our young people and taught classes such as Passport to Manhood, an etiquette class where he taught them the importance of acceptable actions, how to tie a tie, showing respect for others, positive traits and the importance of making the right decision when no one else is looking.”
Passmore said she is confident that Harris will continue to make an impact as principal at Davis Elementary School.
“His exceptional leadership qualities, vision and ability to impact others will make him the perfect fit for his new role as principal at Davis Elementary,” she said.
In part of his outreach efforts to the community, Harris founded G.O.N.E. (Generating Opportunities Not Excuses) in 2015.
“It was started because we wanted to have a free football camp in Eudora,” Harris said. “Then we would have breakout sessions during the camp and talk to the guys about making good choices.
“So there’s the carrot dangling again. We draw them in with football, but we also talk to them about making good choices.”
Harris said he was always into sports and even had aspirations to play professionally.
“But the only way to stay close to the game is to become a coach,” he said. “I have a passion for kids. I think we are all blessed to do certain things, and getting through to kids is one thing I have been blessed to have. I can’t get through to all of them, but I try.”
Harris has been a head football coach, a head basketball coach, a head baseball coach, a head track coach and a head wrestling coach. He said of all the sports he has coached, he enjoyed basketball the most.
“I really miss coaching basketball,” Harris said. “In football, if you are bigger than me, you are probably going to beat me.
“But in basketball, especially in high school, you can out-scheme somebody and make it interesting. In football, you ain’t even going to make it interesting.”
Harris played third base at UAPB under then assistant coach Carlos James.
“He’s one of the most loyal people I’ve ever met,” James said of Harris. “He is somebody who has always been a leader type.
“I remember when I was an assistant, he’d do things right. He was one of those you never have to worry about. He did what you needed a kid to do to be a Division I athlete.”
James described Harris as someone who thinks outside the box and “is constantly willing to learn.”
“He showed those qualities when he was a player. Most people don’t understand the rigors of being a Division I athlete and the ability to multitask. … He gets it done,” James said.
“That comes from being an athlete. Being a high-level athlete like that, you learn problem-solving skills, managing adults and managing the kids, too. He should be great in that role as principal because he has done it before,” James said.
“John Q. Adams once said, ‘If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more and become more, then you are a leader,’” Passmore said. “This quote sums up Mr. Dondre Harris.”
Staff writer Sam Pierce can be reached at (501) 244-4314 or spierce@arkansasonline.com.