- December 13, 2025
School principals have been paired with Flagler County leaders in a new mentoring effort.
Sometimes it’s easy to get tunnel vision in a system as self-contained as a school district, said Superintendent Janet Valentine. In an effort to break the cycle, she and staff have created the Leaders Leading Leaders program, a one-on-one mentoring series between principals and community members.
“Sometimes with the school district, you get such a look inwardly that you’re not always looking out in the community and (seeing) the bigger picture,” Valentine said. “(But) we’re finding some very good connections with our principals.”
Some of the connections include Flagler Palm Coast High School Principal Jacob Oliva with Palm Coast City Manager Jim Landon, Indian Trails Middle School Principal Vernon Orndorff with Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts and Rymfire Elementary Principal Paula St. Francis with County Commissioner Barbara Revels.
“The goal is to have … meaningful discussions about leadership,” said Denise Haymes, program coordinator.
Whether the issue of the day is human resources or budgeting, all leaders face many of the same challenges, she added, “just through different lenses.”
Before mentoring sessions began in January, leaders brainstormed a list of issues, and that document is used as a guideline for discussions, which occur twice monthly. But any topic is fair game, she said.
“(Some) are really talking about how a high school can play into things that are going on in the county — like economic development, for instance,” Valentine said.
“We want to provide graduates an opportunity to work in our district if that’s possible,” Haymes added. “Aligning course work and opportunities in our community is important for students who don’t want to leave (Flagler after graduation).”
Already, she says, there has been talk about a possible pairing with the medical and agricultural industries, in order to offer more direct links between the schools and those fields.
Another pair, Buddy Taylor Middle School Principal Winnie Oden and Teen Court Coordinator Marian Irvin, discussed ways to be more proactive with discipline.
“(Oden) is very strong in school safety and has done a lot of work with the school resource deputies,” Haymes said. “And so it seemed an obvious pairing … that she’d be with someone from the juvenile justice system.”
Although the two have met only once, they have discussed incorporating more “grandparent-type eyes” on campus, as well as how uniforms can be leveraged to change classroom culture.
According to Haymes, the program serves not just as a way to open communication lines, but also to foster community support for schools. Whereas support used to be strong and easy to come by, she says, the economic collapse has made it harder to get outsiders involved.
In May, all 10 mentoring teams will report their successes and challenges at a Leaders Leading Leaders wrap-up. If staff determines that the sessions have been a success, Haymes said, the initiative should continue in the future.
THE LEADERS
Each school principal in Flagler County holds monthly meetings with another local leader. The duos are as follows:
• Richard Dupont, of Bunnell Elementary, is paired with attorney Marc Dwyer.
• Paula St. Francis, of Rymfire Elementary, is with County Commissioner Barbara Revels.
• Stephen Hinson, of Belle Terre Elementary, is with former Palm Coast City Councilman Holsey Moorman.
• Robin Dupont, of Wadsworth Elementary, is with Intracoastal Bank Senior Vice President Cheryl Tanenbaum.
• Nancy Willis, of Old Kings Elementary, is with Craig Flagler Palms Funeral Home General Manager Allen Whetsell.
• Winnie Oden, of Buddy Taylor Middle, is with Teen Court Coordinator Marian Irvin.
• Vernon Orndorff, of Indian Trails Middle, is with Palm Coast Mayor Jon Netts.
• Dr. Chris Pryor, of Matanzas High, is with District Director of Instructor Richard Conkling.
• Jacob Oliva, of Flagler Palm Coast High, is with Palm Coast City Manager Jim Landon.
• Carla Taylor, of Pathways, is with ATC Executive Director Michelle McCraney.
