By Kyle Roberts
RUSTON, La. — It’s a true full-circle moment for new I.A. Lewis Principal Wendall Crowe.
For a man who has dedicated nearly his entire professional career to education, he’s now back where it began in 2006 — just in a new role.
And, before you ask — call it coincidence his last name is the same as the well-known “Crowe” family in Ruston’s rich education history.
“In my first few years here, whenever I would tell somebody my name, they’d look at me sideways, and I’d automatically go “No relation,” Crowe said, smiling. “They’d assume I was David Crowe, because I was serving in the same role as him as an assistant principal. Most families I’ve met do not have the ‘e’ on the end outside of Ruston — you can probably go back far enough and maybe we are, but not to my knowledge.”
Crowe came to Ruston as a star defensive lineman for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs under former head coach Jack Bincknell from Dallas-area Lincoln High School and graduated in 2006 with a degree in education. Both parents Will and Blondell were educators, as well back home, furthering inspiring his choice of career.
Of course, Crowe would have loved to been in the National Football League after his time as a Bulldog — but after attending a showcase in Dallas, staff members from Arena Football where the only ones who showed interest.
“At the time, I would not have been able to make really any money in the arena league,” Crowe said. “It made more sense for me to just go ahead and go into education.”
Crowe spent his first five years at I.A. Lewis teaching P.E. and working on Billy Laird’s staff for Ruston High School Football and was hired at the Firmly Founded fulltime in 2011 – 2012. In 2013 and 2014, Crowe temporarily left the education system to run his own marketing business before returning in 2015 to Ruston High School as an assistant principal, where he has spent the last 10 years before getting the call to lead I.A. Lewis.
“I absolutely loved my time at Ruston High School,” Crowe said after serving under both now Lincoln Parish School Board Superintendent Ricky Durrett and current principal Dan Gressett. “It was one of the hardest things to do in leaving Ruston High. Both times, actually. The reason I was able to come back is because I left on such good terms, initially. I’ve built countless relationships there, and I’ve impacted the lives of a lot of students, most of whom I still talk to today. It built my capacity as a leader over there.”
Durrett said he is pleased with Crowe’s hire and expects great things for the school under his leadership.
“We’re so excited for him to be there,” Durrett said. “He’s a great role model for the kids that will be there, and I think he’s got some good ideas. He’s put together a great administrative staff, so I’m looking forward to the good things that are going to go on at that school.”
Crowe has retained most of the previous teaching staff and has filled all roles for any teachers that left from last. Both Mandy Brown and Brooke Hoefler will be assistant principals. Brown was most recently the principal at Ruston Elementary, while Hoefler was the Instructional Coach for math and ELA while serving as the Special Education Instrucational Facilitator for the district.
Being a sixth-grade only school presents many challenges for I.A. Lewis — all of which Crowe is ready to meet as principal.
“You’re receiving students from three different locations — Cypress Springs, Ruston Elementary and Dubach,” Crowe said. “They’ve all been competing with one another over the past couple of years, and that’s not including anybody else that may be transferring in. I think you just have to meet the students where they are and sympathetic to what they’re going through.
“There are going to be challenges that they are going to go through, but we also have to remember that we all went through that stage. We’ll be loving on those kids from day one — being there for them, supporting them, having conversations and building relationships.”
