By PAUL CATALA
Published: December 07, 2011
Updated: December 07, 2011 – 10:34 AM

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RIVERVIEW –Terry Johnson Jr. doesn’t just like greeting the students waving to him in the halls of Winthrop Charter School. He literally embraces it.

Johnson is the first principal at Winthrop, a new school that opened Aug. 23. Charter schools are run independently but publicly funded, with the school district providing services and training.

Whenever he strolls the school’s hallways at 6204 Scholars Hill Lane, Johnson is more likely to get and give a hug than a “hello” to students calling out his name. It’s the personal contact and having a genuine interest in a student’s day that keeps Johnson spending more time roaming the building than sitting behind his desk.

“If you’re camping out in the office, you’re not engaged in your learning community. You need to be visible and active in the institution,” said Johnson during a workday in the Winthrop Town Centre school.

Johnson said the first three months of the school’s opening have run smoothly and the 830 students from kindergarten to sixth grade have adapted with little problem. Winthrop, a two-story facility, joins five other Hillsborough County charters that opened this school year, said Jenna Hodgens, Hillsborough County charter schools supervisor. Two more are slated to open for the 2011-12 school year.

Before joining Winthrop, Johnson, 38, was an assistant principal at Six Mile Charter Academy in Fort Myers from October 2010 to June.

And before that he was principal of St. Mary’s Elementary School in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, from August 2009 to October 2010.

He said when he was asked by Fort Lauderdale-based Charter Schools USA to apply to be principal of one of its schools, it didn’t take long to make a decision.

“I have close friends living here, but when you’re in education, it totally doesn’t matter where you are. The important thing in teaching is the communication you establish with the students and the community,” he said.

Among the first traditions Johnson said he set out to establish was involving parents in the education process. He said each parent is required to put in 20 volunteer hours per year at the school; and then 10 more for each additional child that is a student at the school.

“That has been phenomenal because it shows the children the true connection between family and school,” he said.

In just three months, Johnson said he, his staff of about five and the 37 teachers have had a full slate of activities for students and the community. Among those were an Oct. 5 book fair, which generated $12,000 for the school’s library; a “Parent-Math Teacher Night” for each grade; a school-wide science fair Oct. 19-20; and a volunteer appreciation breakfast Oct. 28.

“I enjoy coming here. There’s a lot going on and a lot of clubs to get involved with,” said sixth-grader Knayomi Vargas, 11. “The teachers are great and they come to you when you need help.”

Johnson also has helped coordinate a partnership with The Greater Brandon Community Foundation to host a Winter Festival, started an intramural sports program and helped establish the school’s first clubs.

Winthrop is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and governed by the Lee Charter Foundation, which operates a network of charter schools in Florida.

“We are excited to have Mr. Johnson take the leadership role at the new Winthrop Charter Academy. His varied experience … will be a great asset to the new school,” said Sherry Hage, Charter Schools USA’s vice president of education.