DEANNA FINGER SELECTED PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR FOR CATAWBA COUNTY SCHOOLS!

What does a young basketball player hope to be when she grows up? Well, one “5’11ish” Bandys High School athlete, who probably -- more than once -- thought about pro basketball, softball, and tennis, ultimately made the decision: A Principal for Catawba County Schools.

Not the average “…this is what I want to be when I grow-up” response, but for the driven Principal of Blackburn Elementary, the answer is no surprise. Mrs. DeAnna Cresimore Finger now leads an Honor School of Excellence (over 90% proficient and meeting expected growth), filled with 720 eager-to-learn students in kindergarten through sixth grade with 80 faculty and staff.

And not only is DeAnna Finger a principal, she is the recently peer-elected Principal of the Year for Catawba County Schools.

“It just blows me away,” she said, “even getting nominated blows me away.” Finger was nominated by Beth Isenhour, Principal of Mill Creek Elementary School.  Isenhour, a colleague and friend, was also Finger’s 7^th grade English teacher.

Classroom experience was part of Finger’s plan beginning with her initial step in education as a Mathematics teacher at Fred T. Foard High School in 1992. Her teaching career continued to include math instruction at both Bunker Hill High School and Bandys High School before she accepted a position as Assistant Principal of Rock Springs Elementary School in Denver, NC. Finger later returned to Catawba County Schools as the Assistant Principal of River Bend Middle School. In 2002, Finger was promoted to Principal of Claremont Elementary School, leading for two years until her appointment this year as Principal of Blackburn Elementary School.

“The  experience—as a first-time principal, was very rewarding for me at Claremont,” said Finger. “The Claremont family atmosphere and sense of community is wonderful. The staff members are superior and they were very supportive of me. If I made mistakes—and I did—they remained supportive,” she added. “I learned very quickly that good assistant principals do not necessarily become good principals and that I would have to prove myself all over again. I worked hard at Claremont,” she said. “I worked to help teachers embrace change, to think outside of the box, and to depend on each other in ways they have never experienced,” said Finger.

“At Claremont Elementary, I followed a wonderful principal--Margaret Garrison, who is retired,” said Finger. “Mr. Chris Gibbs is there now, and he’s just great. They all love him.”

CCS Superintendent, Dr. Hart, offered Finger the option of the school leadership change last fall. “I chose to make the move because I will go wherever I am needed to serve,” said Finger, “but it’s like I’ve been here at Blackburn all of my life. I absolutely love it!” she stated. “We have a superior staff and they have provided a very warm welcome. Our Assistant Principal, Brian Benton, continues to be a great support as well.”

Born in Catawba, Finger completed her BA degree in Mathematics from UNC-Charlotte and two MA degrees-- one in Mathematics Education from UNC-Charlotte and the other MA degree in Administration from Gardner-Webb University. 

Education runs thick in the Finger family. DeAnna Finger is the daughter of Joe and Shelby Cresimore. Mrs. Cresimore taught for 30 years, with 25 of those years at Sherrills Ford. Finger is married to Dwayne Finger, Principal of Maiden High School. Of their three children, Mrs. Finger’s stepson, Brandon, 17, is a NC Teaching Fellow candidate and aspires for a career in education. Stepdaughter, Natalie, 13, still has time to change her mind many times, and DeAnna and Dwayne’s youngest, four year old Easton—will likely “play school” at some point.

Finger and her family are members of First Baptist Church in Maiden where Mrs. Finger performs with the handbell choir. She also teaches Mission Friends for the two to five year olds. Her personal passions include family time, sports, and travel. 

In addition to her recent recognition as Principal of the Year, Finger, a life-long sports enthusiast, has received numerous athletic honors through the years including State Championship Softball Coach while serving at Fred T. Foard and Western Piedmont Softball Coach of the Year.

A member of the NC Association of Curriculum and Development, Finger is active in presenting professional development/training to education study groups such as “True Colors,” “Working Smarter Not Harder,” programs for her staff, and state-wide elementary conferences.

Finger shares that the greatest challenge in serving as principal is not being able to help every Blackburn family.  “As principal,” she says, “you know that many families need additional support, especially during this time of year. You get to know the families on a personal level—their poverty levels—their family hardships.”

“But that’s why our school is so active in helping others,” she said.  “We really do pull together as a big family. We have teachers buying coats for our students and there are approximately 120 student names on the Angel Tree in our office. Staff, parents, the PTO—everyone pitches in to help out,” said Finger.

The greatest joy in serving as a principal comes quickly to mind for Finger: “It’s knowing at the end of the day, every day, that you’ve impacted the lives of hundreds of families and that hopefully, you’ve made a difference,” she said. “That was my drive to become a classroom teacher with 20 kids. But as principal, the opportunity extends with what you can do—and the numbers that you can reach.”

Is serving as a principal the end-all in Finger’s career? “Well, I really want to be a principal for quite a while,” she said.  “Then I would like to move into curriculum development, and possibly end my career as a college mathematics professor.”

But in the meantime, DeAnna Finger, as she prepares for regional competition as Principal of the Year, loves to address new challenges:  “I enjoy researching the best practice, looking for better ways of doing things, and then creating the vision and providing the resources to make it happen,” she said.  Not a distant practice from the strategy Finger once used on the basketball court. She knows how to lead for the home team.