City Springs’ Rhonda Richetta: City Schools’ Longest-tenured Principal

October 1, 2026

For October’s National Principals Month, we mark a very special milestone for Dr. Rhonda Richetta, Principal of City Springs Elementary/Middle School. It’s her 39th year as a Baltimore City Public Schools principal, the longest-tenured principal among all City Schools this academic year.

In August, the new City Schools CEO Dr. Jermain Dawson recognized Dr. Richetta at a special gathering he held for City Schools that had impressive achievements for the year just finished. Her wonderful milestone was one of several Baltimore Curriculum Project (BCP) schools heralded for their leadership among City Schools.

Dr. Richetta’s Leadership at City Springs

Dr. Richetta’s path to Principal was unexpected. She joined City Springs as a special educator in the late 1990s. Her Principal and mentor, the late Bernice Whelchel, saw Dr. Richetta’s innate leadership skills and appointed her Principal.

Dr. Richetta embraced Ms. Whelchel’s pioneering use of Direct Instruction among City Schools and added her own ground-breaking addition: introducing Restorative Practices to City Schools and to school districts across Maryland. Dr. Richetta remains a national figure in the use of Restorative Practices to create positive school cultures.

For the generations of City Springs students and families, she has simply been the face and model of joy, encouragement, and school spirit for almost four decades. She is not a leader to remain in her office. Every day, she is greeting students as they arrive, and is a frequent figure in the hallways, the cafeteria, at sporting and other events, and at the end of the day, saying goodbye to students.

Insight on Dr. Richetta’s Impactful Leadership

Rhonda has been a significant and impactful school leader at City Springs and across Baltimore, Maryland, and the nation. She personifies what it means to lead with empathy, love, and the unwavering belief in the potential of every student, family, and educator. She understands that truly meaningful leadership begins with relationships, and she has built a school community where people feel seen, valued, and supported.

Laura Doherty

BCP President and CEO

Robert D. Summers, City Springs’ Assistant Principal:

Dr. Richetta with her Assistant Principals, Mr. Summer and Ms. Toulson.

I’ve been privileged to work with Dr. Richetta at City Springs for over ten years. I have had the opportunity to see firsthand her genius for leadership. Every day she demonstrates that her talents, wisdom, compassion, energy and commitment are unmatched. There is a good reason she is a legend in Baltimore City Public Schools. She really does the work of education at a higher level, and she helps everyone working around her be their very best. Staff, students, and families know that they can count on her no matter what.”

Jenae’ Toulson, City Springs’ Assistant Principal:

“I have the privilege of celebrating a truly remarkable leader—someone whose commitment to her school, her staff, her students, her families, and her community. As the longest-tenured principal in our district, Dr. Richetta has witnessed generations of students walk through the doors of her school. But what makes her story even more special is that she did not begin her journey there as the principal. She began as a teacher.

The same hallways she now leads are the hallways where she once taught, encouraged, nurtured, and inspired students. Her journey from classroom teacher to principal is a beautiful example of dedication, perseverance, and a genuine love for the school community she has devoted so much of her life to serving.

We celebrate a woman who has given so much of herself to her school and community. We celebrate a leader who understands that strong schools are built on strong relationships. And most importantly, we celebrate someone who has never lost sight of why she chose education in the first place—the children.”

Bringing the Purple Passion to City Springs

Celebrating the then-new Purple Field at City Springs.

One of Dr. Richetta’s many accomplishments at City Springs is creating a sense of school spirit that is palpable and very purple. She takes the school color very seriously. She cites one of her proudest achievements as the creation of the “Purple Field,” City Springs’ purple turf field. There are, of course, many other notable highlights of her 39 years at the helm, but it is fitting that one of her favorites is about creating community through the school’s robust athletics program and helping children embrace who they can become through teamwork, resilience, and goal-setting.

In Her Words

We asked Dr. Richetta to reflect on this extraordinary achievement:

For 39 years, serving the children and families of Baltimore City Public Schools has been far more than a career—it has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. I have witnessed tremendous change over the years, but one thing has never changed: my belief in the potential of every child. Baltimore’s students have taught me about resilience, and hope, and the extraordinary things that can happen when adults refuse to give up on kids.

I believe that where there's a will, there's always a way. As a principal, my enduring principle has been simple: do whatever it takes to ensure that every child receives the education they deserve. After 39 years, I remain convinced that our circumstances may shape the challenges we face, but they should never determine the opportunities we create for children. In the end, I hope my legacy will be measured not by the years I served, but by the lives that were changed because I chose, every day, to put children first and never give up on any child.