John Carleton thought he had given up a career in education when he moved to Warsaw. He joined the Warsaw R-IX School District as a science teacher in North Elementary School five years later.

After 23 years with the district, Carleton — who has been principal of North Elementary School for 16 years — will retire this year.

Carleton left a teaching job in Columbia to run a boat store in the town, then, after the store closed, he returned to teaching at the behest of former Superintendent John Boise.

“He said, ‘You’re no boat boy. You need to be back in education where you belong,’ ” Carleton said.

Carleton saw many changes during his time with the district. He started as a science teacher when North had students in kindergarten through seventh grades, then moved to the middle school once it opened.

He then became principal of North and later also took the helm of Ruth Mercer Elementary School.

“I don’t know that I could have asked for a better career or a more supportive environment with a better faculty,” he said.

Carleton said he is most proud of raising the scores of the school’s students on the Missouri Assessment Program, or MAP, tests.

“I think I’m very proud, with a rural school, 70 percent free- and reduced-price lunch (students), we’ve done very, very well,” he said.
When he started, students scored about average on state tests.

“You can’t tell me we can’t do better than average,” he said.

He credited the staff with the gains in scores. He said he’s more of a cheerleader, organizer and facilitator.

“I think we really are a kid-friendly school. I think we really to keep in our hearts what’s best for our students,” he said.

The stakes are higher now than when he started, and educators pay the price. He said education has become a political football, because educators were slow to change their ways.

The federal No Child Left Behind legislation, which mandates all students test as proficient on state standardized tests by 2014, is a particular challenge.

“I hate to see that down the road not just for my faculty, but for all teachers in this country,” he said.

Carleton has faced personal challenges this year as well. He was diagnosed with and underwent treatment for throat cancer, and missed the first half of the year. He decided to retire before becoming ill.

“Even though that’s my biggest regret, I think there might be a silver lining,” he said. His absence showed the faculty and staff there is “life after John,” he said.

He has few regrets, he said. The only other one he named was a time — the only time — he lost his temper with a faculty member.
He said he always tells teachers to be the voice of reason and take the high road with angry parents.

“The one time I didn’t follow my own advice and I still regret it,” he said. “I learned from it. I won’t ever do it again.”

There are some good memories. Once, dressed as Zero the Hero, a character he created to celebrate the 100th day of school, he ran out of gas. His wallet — and that of former South Elementary School Principal Tony Berry, dressed as his sidekick Zilch — was back with his clothes.

The two coasted into a local gas station, and he jumped out to ask for help.

“Here’s some crazy-looking person skidding to a halt, asking for free gas,” he said.

School secretary Vickie Whitaker, who has been with the district 21 years, said Carleton has been an organized, neat and hands-on principal.

“I’m going to miss stories, stories and stories,” she said.

She said Carleton is willing to do anything as principal, such as dressing up as Zero the Hero, serving or washing dishes in the cafeteria on Cook’s Day, or milking a goat to celebrate reaching a fundraising goal.

“He’s very good at being a leader,” she said. “It might not be something everybody wants to hear, but we all end up going along with it and making it work. He’s one of the good guys.”

Superintendent Brett Reese described Carleton as “a consummate professional” and said his retirement is a loss for the district.

“He’s everything if you were trying to piece together a principal, he’s everything that a superintendent could want,” Reese said.

Reese pointed to his years of experience and knowledge of the district as part of that loss.

“You lose that 17-plus years of the knowledge he has, of buildings and of people and of community. You lose those things, and everybody can be replaced, but that knowledge is entirely something different. I’m not sure that that’s something that could ever be replaced,” he said.

Carleton has a special way of giving people his complete attention.

“In every situation I’ve seen him in, with faculty, with staff, with parents, with students, with Board of Education (members), with administration, John treats everybody the same. You always feel, with John, and I think it’s genuine, that whatever you’re discussing with him is the most important thing to him,” Reese said. “That’s an amazing gift, I think.”

Carleton said he won’t leave the work world quite yet. He plans to start work later this year for ARJ Infusion Services in Lenexa, Kan., where he will do public relations and staff development work for the company. The company provides home health services for people with bleeding disorders. Carleton has hemophilia.