MMS Principal Royle Retires, Passes Torch to Kee

McKENZIE (July 15) — McKenzie Middle School announced the retirement of Principal Dorethea Royle Tuesday. The same day, Assistant Principal Josh Kee was named the new principal.

The two lifelong educators spoke to The Banner about the transition.

Royle served as principal for 12 years in the building where she attended and graduated high school (1977).

She earned degrees at Lane College, Troy State and Cambridge College, the latter an Education Specialist degree. She also served for three years as an administration specialist in the U.S. Army, continuing a history of military service in her family.

Royle is admittedly a “no-nonsense kind of person,” though she says she loves to have fun. “That’s one of the things that has taken a while for people to get to know.”

She attributes her notoriously (and, she says, sometimes misleading) serious demeanor to growing up in a strict family environment. “My mom was incredibly strict. My mom and dad were tough on us, so you did what you were supposed to do and, if you didn’t, you suffered the consequences.”

She said, “Honestly, though, I love what I do. I love kids. I want students to be able to do the right thing, make good choices. I love to support them. I’ll do whatever I can for them. I guess maybe it’s called tough love, because you can mess up and I’m going to love you, but you’re going to have consequences.

“My focus has always been on what’s best for our students, and every decision I’ve made, I’ve tried to base upon what’s best for our students and then what’s best for our teachers. I have a passion for middle schoolers, for this age group, for education, and working with teachers.

“Treating other people the way that you want to be treated and listening to them, really listening. Not judging, just listening to them. And asking God to guide me so I know how to guide them. My prayer every single day is ‘God show me how to be the kind of leader that you want me to be that will bring glory and honor to you, whatever that looks like.’

“I’ve made mistakes. I’ve done my best, but I’ve made mistakes. I try to own up to my mistakes, and I try to get our students to own up to theirs and to know that regardless, you’re going to keep on going and you’re going to be loved anyway.

“I would like to think that my teachers know that I put kids first all the time, but I support my teachers too, because they need support. I listen to them, because they go through good times and hard times. I want to be there for them.

“I just have a passion for what I do and this school has been my passion. I want to see this school thrive, go beyond anything that anybody could possibly have imagined. I want to see the kids do some amazing things. I want the kids to know I believe in them. I believe in our kids. I see the good in them. On their worst days or on my worst days, I see the good in every single student that I’ve ever worked with.”

Royle had high praise for her successor and optimism for the school’s future.

“Josh was a seventh grade science teacher when I first came. I’ve watched him throughout these years and I’ve always known that he was going to be a great leader. When he went over to the elementary school to be an assistant principal there, I was proud of him. He was trained very well under Tonya [Brown, MES principal]. And for him to be able to come back here to this school and for me to be able to work these last two years with him, it’s been the best. I’ve had the best two years of the 12 that I’ve been here. He has a heart for students; he has a heart for teachers.

“He took over for me when I had to go out on medical leave for four months. I didn’t have to worry about a thing. I knew it was going to be taken care of, because he’s disciplined. He’s been at the elementary, so he understands where they’re coming from and I think that’s important. You have to go where students are coming from in order to meet them where they are, and he’s been able to do that as well. I know that the school is going to do some amazing things because he’s going to lead it. So, I’m very very excited about that.

“He supports the staff too, tremendously, so I think that the staff is pretty excited too.”

Kee has similarly glowing remarks about his predecessor.

“She’s leaving an outstanding legacy. There are many people whose lives she’s touched, mine in particular. She always pushed me to be a leader. One of the reasons I wanted to get into administration was her encouragement, which she’s shown me a lot through the years. It’s been a joy to work with her. She’s not only my boss, she’s my friend.”

Kee is a 1995 MHS graduate, also attending and graduating in the very building he now leads.

He earned his bachelor’s and Masters degrees at Bethel College in 1999 and 2000, respectively, and earned his Instructional Leadership License at Bethel University in 2016.

He began his career as a seventh grade science teacher and coach in 2000, which he continued until 2019, when he served as the MES assistant principal until 2023. He then returned to MMS for the same role.

Much like Royle, Kee keeps his focus on the kids, and then the staff. “Students first, what’s best for them, what’s best for my faculty and staff. I want to be someone who is looked at as a servant leader, not as a boss. We’re working together to accomplish the goal. From me all the way down to our students, what can we do to make McKenzie Middle School the best that it can be?

“I hope to build on what Ms. Royle has started and that I’m able to partially fill her shoes, because there’s no way with what she’s accomplished to fill her shoes. I’m not her, my style will be different than hers, but the things we’ve got going here that she’s led are good things, and I want to continue building upon those.

“The four years that I was at the elementary school were very important in my overall growth as an administrator. It gives you a better perspective of what they do there, building them up to come here. Those teachers work very hard and do a great job. Working with Mrs. Tonya was very beneficial for me as well. It helped grow my leadership abilities. It gave me a different perspective, helped me see things differently.”

“The first year, I don’t know that you make a bunch of changes,” Kee said. He quoted someone from a recent conference, “’Change is a cruise ship, not a speed boat.’ So, change is going to take place gradually.

“This year, I just want to see us be able to tell our story. I want people to understand what we do here, that we are a great school. That our teachers are the best teachers, that our students are the best students. That we all care for each other, and we care for our community and we want our community to be a part of what we’re doing.

“If I can get that to come together more, if we can keep getting closer and closer to one another to tell our story. Then, if you start wanting to change some things, now everybody’s on board because we know it’s best for everybody.”

Kee summed it up with the old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”