By Taylor Gencarelli
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
The newly appointed Baltimore County Public Schools superintendent uses his platform to fight for mental health awareness among students, parents and teachers.
Darryl L. Williams said he knew since his days in middle school, growing up in Washington, D.C., that education made a huge difference in his life. He said his teachers saw his potential and inspired him to achieve more than he could have imagined for his life. He said he put his trust in his educators and has spent his life learning to become a successful educator.
“The desire of becoming an educator was always about how I can make systematic change,” said Williams.
In 1984, Williams was in the first graduating class at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School, a magnet school in the northwest section of the nation’s capital. The school was named after Banneker, an African American scientist. He earned a bachelor’s in mathematics from Hampton University, a master’s in Educational Administration from American University, and completed his doctoral degree from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Williams’ first job was as a math teacher at Banneker, where he worked for six years. He then moved to Montgomery County and worked as an associate superintendent of K-12 schools in eight clusters. Williams said the Montgomery County position enabled him to work closely with a team of educators as they supervised, supported and evaluated eight high school principals, two specialty school principals, 15 middle school principals, and 44 elementary school principals.
“The bigger the role, the bigger the responsibility,” Williams explained noting that Montgomery County is the most populous, as well as the largest school district in the state with 206 schools. The county ranks 14th in the U.S.
“So, although I was responsible for a certain number of schools in Montgomery County, this gave me an opportunity to address systematic issues in all schools in Baltimore County,” he said. “It’s all about school improvement, it’s about people improvement and hiring and attaining the best, so this was a great opportunity and I’m fortunate to actually get this position.”
Williams was appointed top school leader in Baltimore County on May 21. There are 174 schools within Baltimore County, which is the 25th largest school district in the U.S. and the third largest in Maryland. The county public school system has 18,202 employees, including 9,834 teachers and 113,814 students, according to BCPS statistics.
Williams said he has been working closely with student activists for mental health awareness and supported multiple campaigns to offer more resources for students.
“When I first came on board I’ve met with students and in that conversation the topic came up regarding students’ well-being and right then and there I knew we had to continue some of the work the system had done but also ask ourselves how we expand?” Williams said. “So a lot of it is educating and informing our students how to be healthy; not only physical health but inform them on how to [develop] better eating habits, and sleep habits.”
Williams said that the school system is working on ways for students to help manage their stress through budgeting. He said they have hired additional counselors and social workers for students to access in times of need.
Student activist Omar Reshid not only has been working closely with Williams on this project, but he recently suggested to the Board of Education that each student be given a hotline phone number to be placed on the back of his or her identification card.
“This is just the beginning of the fight for mental health awareness in public schools,” Reshid said.
Williams said he is pleased with the results of the mental health awareness efforts so far.
“As a result of more awareness, I’ve watched that students are talking about ways in which they can help and provide opportunities for students,” Williams said. “The principals and leadership teams are coming up with plans of action. It’s our job to give them time to collaborate and plan and then to get support.”
Williams added, “I’ve watched folks talk about ways to support the students and I’ve watched our staff go into classes and have conversations with our students about conscious discipline as well as restorative practices and to inform our students how to manage stress and deal with certain circumstances.”
As superintendent, Williams admitted his job is never done. He said he must adapt to schedule changes, prepare for meetings, and give multiple speeches all in a day’s work.
“Dr. Williams is always very busy, and his schedule can change at any moment,” said Brenda Stiffler, the superintendent’s secretary.
Despite the busy schedule, Williams said he still finds time to unwind, work out, and spend time at home with his wife, Shellie Bronson Williams and their three children.
“Healthy mind equals healthy body,” he said. “I’m not trying to be a weightlifter; it is just a matter of staying active, eating right, drinking a lot of water and getting enough sleep. This keeps me relaxed.
Williams added, “Also supporting my kids in sports is my favorite past time. I love watching them participate and stay active as well. I find time to spend with my family because family is the most important thing to me.”
But family doesn’t keep him from having a bucket list. Williams said that he wants to travel to all the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and to return to Colombia, South America, where he was an exchange student during the summer of his sophomore year in high school.