BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Do you desire a title or an opportunity to meet the needs of children?
That was an easy answer for Heidi Keegan, who had no problem with going from being a principal to an assistant principal — the role she currently fills at Starke Elementary School.
“Titles aren’t really a thing for me,” Keegan said. “I just believe in servant leadership, so anywhere I can be a help, I’d like to be there.”
A move from Charlotte County to Alachua County (because of her husband, Patrick, taking a job at the University of Florida) had Keegan looking for a job in the area. She asked Bradford County Assistant Superintendent of Schools Karen Clarke if she knew of any local openings. The two knew each other through the Florida Association of School Administrators.
Clarke told Keegan that Starke Elementary had to fill its assistant-principal position due to Shannon Rodriguez leaving to take a job in the district’s finance office.
Keegan, who’s in her 21st year in education, said that in meeting with Starke Elementary Principal Raymond Schaeffer, she stated that she knew the job was as an assistant principal and that she was OK with that. She told him, “I am here to support your vision. What are your goals? What have you set for this year? How can I help to make that successful?”
A love for school
It’s not unusual for a young child to announce their intention of growing up to be a teacher, but Keegan, who was born and raised in Charlotte County, had even higher aspirations.
“Even in kindergarten, I told my mom I wanted to be the principal of the school,” she said.
Keegan had a love for school that never diminished as she aged. She didn’t dread going, saying, “I grew up in poverty and the oldest of five (children). I loved school, and school loved me. I did well.”
She remembers going to school fondly and can tell you the name of every teacher she had. With that in mind, it’d be hard for her to single out any who were the most influential on her as she pursued a career in education. As a band student, Keegan will say that the teachers who probably had the most impact on her were those who taught music.
The greatest influence on her future could be found closer to home.
“Sometimes it’s not a teacher in a building. Sometimes, it’s a teacher in life, and that would be my grandmother, who was a nurse,” Keegan said. “She went into nursing and was then a nursing administrator. She always continued her education and always encouraged me to do so. She was the one who took me on a tour of colleges when I was deciding where I would go for my undergrad.”
Keegan attended the University of West Florida in Pensacola and went on to earn her master’s degree at the University of South Florida in Tampa.
She’s now working on her doctorate in Curriculum Instruction for Teachers, Schools and Societies at UF.
Now, Keegan’s two teen sons — Colin and Brody — say they plan to follow in her footsteps and earn doctorates, too.
“Education is very important in our family,” Keegan said.
From teacher to Distinguished Principal
After graduating from West Florida, Keegan returned to Charlotte County as a newlywed looking for a job. She began teaching kindergarten at Liberty Elementary School, where her mother-in-law also taught.
The first nine years of her career consisted of being a classroom teacher as well as a reading specialist and a district reading coach. Her first administrative role was as assistant principal at Sally Jones Elementary School.
“I was probably the youngest administrator ever in the district at the time,” Keegan said.
She was at that school for about a year and a half when the superintendent told her he could really use her at another school that had just received a D grade from the state. That school’s grade rose to a B while Keegan was there.
A year and a half later, the superintendent approached her again about moving to another school that needed help.
“It was kind of a running joke,” Keegan said. “Every October, the superintendent would say, ‘Can you please go help here?’”
Of course, as Keegan said regarding the assistant-principal position at Starke Elementary, she’s willing to go wherever she can be of help.
Keegan would eventually become a principal, first on an interim basis when a position needed to be filled during the school year. She was the principal at Peace River Elementary School before moving to Gainesville.
As someone who grew up in Charlotte County, Keegan found herself among familiar faces during her professional career there.
“When I became an assistant principal and a principal, you are responsible for observing and evaluating educators,” she said. “There was a time when I observed and evaluated teachers who had been my own.”
In 2022, Keegan received a National Distinguished Principal Award, which is presented to one teacher in each state every year by the National Association of Elementary School Principals. She and the other recipients gathered for a two-day event in Washington, D.C.
“It was a fantastic opportunity to just celebrate leadership — great leaders who believe in schools and teachers,” Keegan said.
Despite the opportunity, Keegan had to be talked into going by Charlotte County Superintendent of Schools Steve Dionicio. Hurricane Ian had just come through, causing much destruction in her county.
“Me, my husband, my boys and three dogs were in a bathroom for eight hours in this storm,” Keegan said, adding, “There was no power and all that kind of stuff. I felt incredibly guilty about leaving.”
During the event, each principal has to give a 10-minute speech about receiving the award.
“I just went up there and said to them basically, ‘I didn’t prepare a speech about this because I didn’t intend on coming.’ Then I told the story,” Keegan said. “I said, ‘Right now, my heart is with all of my students and their families and my staff at the school.’”
The result was that Keegan had administrators from other schools ask her how they could help.
“I met with one principal from South Carolina, who asked me to come sit with her,” Keegan said. “Her PTO wrote a $500 check to our school for needs for families.”
A part of 2 families
What Keegan has discovered while working at Starke Elementary School is that Schaeffer treats everyone as if they’re family.
“He’s very considerate, kind, patient and always wants you to do what’s best for students,” Keegan said.
The family like atmosphere is prevalent throughout the district, Keegan said.
“I’ve felt very welcomed, and that’s not always the case when you go to a new place,” she said. “Sometimes it takes a while for people to welcome newcomers, but I have just felt right at ease here.”
Keegan said she also likes the fact that she hasn’t observed “pomp and circumstance” that may come with certain positions in other school districts. She cited the fact that seeing Superintendent of Schools Will Hartley walking through the hallways of the school and talking to people is not unusual.
“He seems to know everybody and is genuine in asking, ‘What can we do to help,’” Keegan said.
When she’s not busy with her professional family, Keegan likes to go on outings with her real-life family and enjoy what Florida has to offer. That doesn’t mean going to theme parks or other tourist attractions.
“I really genuinely love real Florida,” Keegan said, adding, “We’ll go to the springs and stuff like that.”
The family enjoys fishing and hiking. Once or twice a year, they’ll enjoy the outdoors in the Great Smoky Mountains. Keegan said when the family takes a trip to the Smokies, they like to hike the Alum Cave trail in the national park.
Keegan and her husband, who’s the chief labor negotiator at UF, have been married 20 years, but have been together for 26. They were high-school sweethearts and maintained their relationship in college, while she was at West Florida and he was at UF.
Their oldest son, Colin, is still in Charlotte County, living with Keegan’s brother and sister-in-law so that he can finish out his senior year at Charlotte High School in Punta Gorda. He’s participated in cross country and soccer and is set to start his final season in track and field. Colin, who’s also been involved in robotics, has been accepted to eight of the 10 colleges he’s applied at and is waiting to hear back from UF.
“He’d love to go to the University of Florida,” Keegan said, “but they don’t tell you (if you’ve been accepted) until the end of February.”
Keegan’s other son, Brody, is a freshman at Buchholz High School in Gainesville. He’s currently toward earning the rank of Eagle Scout.
Achieving Scouting’s highest rank, selecting a college to go to — there’s plenty of excitement in Keegan’s family when it comes to her sons. She also has exciting things to look forward to with her professional family as everyone is eager to work together to best benefit the students in Bradford County.
“The principals in this district are doing a good job of listening to the superintendent’s vision and carrying out his initiatives,” Keegan said. “Everyone communicates really well. We are sharing opportunities and resources. Great things are happening at each building.”
Keegan is a part of that, and it’s totally fine that it’s in the role of assistant principal. When Hartley asked her why she wanted to work in Bradford County, she told him, “Karen (Clarke) said there was a need. I’ve always had a calling to help anywhere I can be of service. What can I do? What is it that you need?
“I can do the assistant principal. I did that for several years. I can do that for you.”
