Feeling ‘like love’

Asst. principal a boon for kids and teachers

Donna McGuire has served as assistant principal at the Park Terrace School in Washington Heights and union representative for District 6 for 15 years — but if you ask her, she’s never worked a day in her life.

McGuire, a nominee for the Daily News’ Hometown Heroes award, also heads the Emerald Society for New York’s Department of Education, serves on the board for New York’s Association of Assistant Principals — which gave her a longevity certificate earlier this month — and is district chair for the Council of School Supervisors, where she’s the voice for 40 schools in key budget, salary and benefit issues.

Yet as McGuire sees it, “If you’re passionate about what you do it will never feel like work — it will only feel like love.”

Luisa Padilla, a teacher who worked for McGuire at Intermediate School 52 in 2004, still admires and appreciates the love McGuire had for her and her fellow teachers.

“For Donna, it was not just about the students but also those that teach students,” Padilla said. “There are plenty of administrators, but to have one that would help you — give you resources — so things work out, makes all the difference.”

Padilla, who nominated McGuire as a Hometown Hero for her tireless dedication to teachers as well as students, felt it was time she was recognized for her work.

“I started thinking about all the stuff she has done … no one ever asked for Donna to do these things. She just takes it upon herself and I felt like I needed to do something … I wanted to encourage her for once,” Padilla said.

Throughout her career, McGuire has nominated staff and teachers — including Padilla—for awards of recognition. She has assisted teachers finding new roles or connections, orchestrated school visits from guests like Miss America, and corralled over $3 million in grants for professional development, class resources, and wellness.

She takes on the additional work, “because Donna cares about people, not just how she can use them while working in her program like some administrators,” Padilla said. “She’s not like that … she’s interested in keeping you energized.”

But McGuire feels teachers deserve the credit.

“It’s not easy to be a teacher,” said the Bronx native. “Teachers prep all night, there’s so much that goes into it … teachers are trying to make a difference.”

And McGuire says she wants her teachers and staff to have a supportive culture, and to be the best resource for them.

“We are a big ship and we need to float and we need to sail — we need to thrive. We need to create a culture where people want to come to work. They don’t want to call absent; they want to be there, they want to be excited.”

It isn’t just teachers McGuire goes out her way to make feel like they’re vital parts of the team. Safety agent Mitzy Alcantara and custodian Errol Garvey recently received awards of recognition. McGuire said it was “my way of saying thank you” and “to keep spreading the love.”

Each year at the school, McGuire runs “BEAR Day” — an acronym for Be Excited About Reading. This year more than 75 professionals from several fields — lawyers, doctors, educators and local politicians among them — came to interact with staff and students to talk about the books that inspired them as children.

“I don’t have to do this but it’s exciting … That’s what I love about it,” she said. “It doesn’t tire me — it inspires me.”