Principal Appreciation Month: Dionne Upton

October 09,  2026 – Ask Dionne Upton what she loves most about being a principal, and her answer is simple: the kids.

“I want to see them succeed. I take the job seriously,” Upton said.

That commitment to children began long before she became a principal. Upton graduated from Sweetwater High School and attended UTC. She knew early on that she wanted a career working with children, inspired in part by her own first-grade teacher, Janie Richardson.

“Being in her classroom, she made us all feel special,” Upton said. “So I just remembered that feeling and knew I wanted to do that.”

More than 30 years later, Upton is still doing just that.

Her path to the principal’s office was not necessarily something she planned from the beginning. Early in her career, a principal encouraged her to consider leadership, even though Upton initially had her sights set on becoming a school counselor. Eventually, she completed the Leadership Fellows program, became a literacy coach, returned to the classroom as a third-grade teacher and later served as an assistant principal at Westview Elementary.

Then came Woodmore.

When Upton was offered the principal position, she knew she was stepping into an important moment for the school and its community. Now, 10 years later, she and the Woodmore team continue to work together to build on the school’s successes.

One of the accomplishments she is most proud of came during the 2020-2021 school year, when Woodmore exited state priority status and returned to good standing with the state. The following year, the school earned state reward status.

“It just shows the commitment, the hard work of the teachers, staff, parents, students,” Upton said.

But when Upton talks about Woodmore, the conversation quickly moves away from accomplishments and back to people.

“We’re a small school, probably one of the smaller schools that’s left in Hamilton County. It just has that family feel. There’s that cohesiveness that just makes us a special place. I tell everybody that we’re the best kept secret in Hamilton County.”

That feeling of being a family extends to how Upton leads. She wants students and staff to know that she is available, approachable and willing to listen whenever they need her.

For students, that means knowing their school is a safe and supportive place. Upton wants students to be able to focus on learning, growing and simply being kids while they are at Woodmore. She also wants to prepare them for what comes next.

“I want the kids to know that we are their safe place,” she said. “All I want them to think about while they’re here for seven and a half hours is to be focused on their academics and just being a kid. I want to see them be prepared for not only the next grade, but for middle school and high school, and give them that foundation of wanting to learn, love learning, and wanting to give back to their own community as they grow older.”

For families, Upton sees Woodmore as a source of support when they need it. She describes the school as a “hub” for the community, where staff connect families with resources and support beyond just school.

When it comes to teachers, Upton wants Woodmore to be a place where they can grow as leaders. Through a program she calls “Woodmore University,” teachers share strategies, lead professional development sessions and learn from one another.

“I want to build the leadership capacity of the teachers who are here,” Upton said. “I want to build leaders because when I move on, I want the school to be able to still run well.”

After 10 years as the school’s principal, Upton’s greatest joy may be the simplest one: making Woodmore a place where people enjoy being together.

“I just want this to be just a special place,” she said. “I want the kids, the teachers, you know, us to make memories together and that this just to be a happy place.”

She knows education can be hard work, but she also believes in celebrating the people who show up every day and do it with her.

“My staff makes me proud when we accomplish the hard things,” Upton said.

That mindset is also part of the advice she gives to anyone thinking about becoming a principal themselves.

“It’s a rewarding career. It’s hard work. You have to be flexible and make sure you hire those talented people around you who can bring what it is to your school, maybe that missing piece, that they can bring in those talents or it can be an asset to help improve your school,” Upton said.

For Upton, leadership is not about doing everything alone. It is about recognizing the strengths of the people around you, giving them room to lead and building a school community that can continue to grow together.

And the message she continually shares with her staff and students captures that approach perfectly:

“We can do hard things.”