Juneteenth celebration honors Newton North’s Principal Turner

With exuberant dance performances, Double Dutch demonstrations, and a variety of vendors and information booths, the sixth annual Newton Juneteenth Celebration on June 19 was a joyous, multifaceted event. However, the most touching part was the community’s heartfelt goodbye to beloved Newton North High School Principal, Dr. Henry Turner.

After Dr. Turner had announced that he will start as superintendent of the Reading Public Schools in September, organizers of Newton’s Juneteenth holiday event decided to honor him and his 10 years of service at the helm of Newton North. (Lisa Gilbert-Smith, M.Ed., has been named Interim Principal for next year.)

Dr. Turner has been recognized nationally during his tenure, including receiving the 2020 National K-12 Principal Award from K-12 Dive.

“What Henry brought with him, changed us,” said Jen Letourneau, North’s math department chair, in an emotional speech. He is “a champion for all students … [and] believes diversity is our strength.”

The Juneteenth event, which was organized by Families Organizing for Racial Justice (FORJ), was held outside the Hyde Community Center. 

“[The holiday] was signed into law as a national holiday on June 17, 2021. …Juneteenth celebrates the date of June 19, 1865, when enslaved people of African descent located in Galveston, Texas, finally learned of their freedom from the slavery system in the United States,” according to the National Parks Service.

This year’s theme was “joyful resistance,” which Letourneau said reflected Dr. Turner’s time at North.

“He created a space where joy is not a luxury, but a right,” she said.

Letourneau, saying she was honored to be Dr. Turner’s friend and mentee, announced an award established in his name, the Henry J. Turner Award for Equity and Excellence. The honor will be given out to a staff member for the first time in the spring of 2027. Tassy Warren, chair of North’s Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO), encouraged attendees to make donations for the new award.

Mayor Marc Laredo presented Dr. Turner with an oversized street sign for “Turner Tiger Drive.”

Dr. Turner was then invited to the stage to speak. 

“This is really moving,” he said as he looked out at the audience.

The outgoing  principal praised the city’s education system, which he said “has always had a long history of Black excellence.”

He touted improving achievement statistics for Black students, especially in advanced math classes. He also said it is important to raise the academic bar for all students.

After the formal ceremony, Dr. Turner chatted with colleagues, former students, and well-wishers as the Juneteenth festivities continued.

“This community is amazing,” he said. “It’s an honor to be recognized.”

Dr. Turner and Letourneau did not shy away from discussing the difficult times he faced as North’s leader, however.

During his first year as principal in 2016, students notoriously rode around Tiger Drive waving a large Confederate flag. Letourneau said that Dr. Turner took the ugly incident and turned it into a moment of healing and learning.

On January 28, 2021, Dr Turner recalled standing at the school’s front door welcoming back students after a long absence due to the Covid pandemic. He said it was poignant to see the teens walk in one-by-one, eager to return to a sense of normalcy.

There were other challenges – including a drag show protest in 2023 and the long Newton Teachers Association (NTA) strike in 2024 – but Dr. Turner has mostly fond memories of the colleagues he has worked with and the students he has come to know.

“I’m going to miss the people,” he said.