There are not many people, especially those who show horses, whose job is to change the lives of poor children in their community. However, Dr. Stacy Chambers, the Principal of the McDonough Expeditionary Learning School (MELS) located in Hartford, Connecticut, does just that. In just her second year as the middle school principal, Chambers has made significant progress in turning the school around and making a difference in her students’ lives. MELS is located in one of the poorest cities in the country and her 400 students live in an urban area with a 100 percent poverty rate.
“Our students are amazingly great kids,” says Stacy, who has been given the affectionate nickname, “Doctor Miss”
from her students. “The focus of our school is to
help them become great citizens and do good work for the world. What we
teach every day is that community and giving back to the community is
critical–that they can change the world with their good work. The school’s values center on being Mindful, Ethical, Leaders and Scholars (MELS).”
“Stacy shows incredible bravery every day while standing up for her kids,” says good friend and fellow competitor, Janae Walker Bronson. “Her kids call her ‘Doctor Miss’ which I love. She tried to get them to call her Dr. Chambers, but Doctor Miss is what stuck.”
For relief from this highly stressful position, Chambers shows on the AQHA show circuit with BMQ Ride The Stride (Strut) who is a full brother to multiple World and Congress Champions, BMQ Without A Doubt and BMQ The Jig Is Up. Chambers uses many of the lessons she has learned riding horses with her students.
“It’s like when you keep picking and picking and never let up on your horse–you obviously are not going to get a good result. Your horse needs to be rewarded for hard work and doing a great job. That is the same philosophy I have with my students–you can’t just keep picking at them and expect them to change. You need to get in and get out. You show them what you want and then they will respond in a positive manner.”
Chambers continues, “When we first started MELS a year and a half ago, students used to ask if we were really going to do things,” Stacy told GoHorseShow.com. “Now they ask when…when are we going on a trip? When will we start our expeditions (community-based, real world projects that all grades do)? When we first started, if I said hello or good morning, some students would ask, ‘What do you want?’ I would always respond with ‘I want to say good morning. How are you?’ That doesn’t happen anymore. We are becoming family which is what middle school kids need in every middle school. Now, when people come to visit, I am often asked if our school is a charter, private or magnet school. We are not. We are just the start of a great neighborhood school in an urban area.” (Pictured above is exterior of school)
Stacy also has a “wonderful” husband, David, who is a high school principal and a son, Dylan, who obviously doesn’t get away with much having two principals in the family!
“Both David and Dylan really support my riding,” says Stacy about her husband and son. “My husband played football for Wake Forest University. He almost went to try the pros when he graduated, but then decided to be a teacher,” Stacy says. “He gets that our work is so intense that the horses allow for time to regroup and refresh, even though showing can be grueling. They sometimes travel with me and sometimes do the boy’s weekend thing. It all provides balance in our lives.”
Chambers’ horse, Strut, is currently in training with Bob Drake, and Stacy mentions that they have brought him along slowly–first showing in hunter under saddle and now expanding to show in equitation and in showmanship.
“I have waited all my life for a horse like him,” says, Stacy who is obviously quite fond of her teammate. “I bought him as a weanling, right before his famous brothers won at Congress and the Masters. I understand now what people/trainers mean when they talk about a horse who has heart. He loves to show, packs me around in the toughest of arenas and is actually better at the shows than at home. We plan to continue to show more shows and travel further this year at both the AQHA and APHA shows. I am lucky to have Bob, who keeps Strut happy and ready for me to ride while I work.”
Chambers continues, “Being an urban school principal is hard work like no other. Every decision in a kid’s life can make a huge impact. You may not know what your words and action can mean to them-until years later and yet it is still so rewarding. What Strut does for me is take me away from thinking, making decisions, planning. When I ride, I can’t think about anything else because he is so in tune with me that if I start worrying about a family or thinking about next years’ school schedule, he can tell. Strut is a blessing in my life, and I couldn’t imagine my life without him.”
Photos © SR-Images.com
