The Last Walk | North Principal Debbie Diggs to retire
After 35 years in education — 10 of which have been spent at North Fort Myers High School — Principal Debbie Diggs is retiring on July 1.
Her 35 years were spent in the district office, various schools, as a principal lead working with other high school principals and as a mentor to brand-new first-year principals in the later part of her career.
“That has been a different leg of my career that has been very rewarding — being able to help with that as well,” Diggs said. “North has been a really great place. I know the team is going to continue with success. I am excited to continue to follow them and watch them grow.”
Diggs began working in the School District of Lee County in 1991, first as a math teacher at Caloosa Middle School before moving to Charlotte High School as a math teacher for a year. She then returned to the district as a math teacher and then a dean at Lehigh Senior High School for almost four years.
Her journey then took her to the district office where she spent seven years in curriculum and staff development.
Diggs said she then opened Ida Baker High School and spent 11 years there as an assistant principal of operations and then assistant principal of curriculum.
“North was my first and last principal job,” she said, which began in July 2016. “I opened Ida Baker – it’s a very different feel when you go into a school that is already 60 years old and rich in tradition and history.”
Diggs said there was a very small senior class the first year Ida Baker opened who had the opportunity to decide on the motto, school colors, mascot, and traditions.
North is known for its respect, pride, tradition, and success.
“When you see the kids, they live that. Most of the kids that come to North — audition in, or apply to get in — are already highly passionate about what they are doing — high academics, dancer, cello player — whatever their arts are, they already have that passion, so many of them,” Diggs said. “They just have a super heavy work ethic and chase that success. That is what I see time and time again with our kids.”
The families also love, and are obsessed with, North to the core.
“You see that with the spirit, pep rally days and game days,” she said.
A newer tradition is the ginormous red knight that sits in the center of the campus. This knight has become a favorite spot for photographs — the first day of school for the student’s freshmen, sophomore, junior and senior year.
“Our Cape Coral kids particularly, and North Fort Myers, too, they go away to school, and they come back here because it is where their families are,” Diggs said. “You see them out and about in the community.”
Although there have been many memories, and highlights from the last decade, Diggs said the students stand out the most.
Academic growth sits at the forefront.
When she first arrived at North, the school grade was a B. In 2019-2020 the school jumped into the No. 1 spot with student grades and has remained there ever since, she said.
“I am proud of the kids and the work the teachers have done with continued support of academics,” she said, adding that they earned even more points this year.
With earning that No. 1 spot, Diggs said it means higher graduation rates, and kids improving academically.
“Collectively as a staff, we were very unified in what our goals were and we are always working with every single kid,” she said. “We take each kid and help them move forward – kid, by kid. We have an incredible staff.”
Diggs said her teams meet every other week and look at data to see where they are, what they need and individualize their instruction.
“We talk about it all the time and review data all the teens do their thing and see how excited they become when they meet their own goals.
This recent graduation was both nostalgic and amazing for the retiring principal because as her students were ending their high school career, so was she. Diggs spent a lot of time at their events, activities, and sporting events.
The new principal, Chris Drake, who is coming from Challenger Middle School will take the helm July 1 as a first-time high school principal. Diggs said the Drake family has a long history at North Fort Myers High School.
“I worked with both his dad, and uncle. Frank Drake retired after 40 years of teaching and coaching and his uncle, John Drake, was the assistant principal when I first came to North,” she said. “He is very connected with the North community and has already been working with kids from the West Zone. I think he is going to be a great fit for North and I am very happy for my kids and staff because they are getting someone really good.”
When asked what she is looking forward to once she retires, she said not setting her alarm for 4:30 every morning, as she is not a morning person.
For the last 21 years, Diggs has been in the earliest job that the district has, except for transportation.
In addition to waking up without an alarm clock, she is looking forward to spending time with her family, and her first grandbaby.
Life as a high school principal means time that is not your own.
Diggs said there were a lot of nights, and weekends away from family. She was fortunate to have her three boys at her high school, as it helped her stay super involved in their life.
“All three of my boys graduated in 2016,” Diggs said of her twins, and her younger son who has Down syndrome. “They all walked the stage at the same time.”