TAMPA, Fla. — Walking around the Middleton High School campus, everyone seems to know Henry “Shake” Washington.
“All these people that hugged me, I love them too, it’s not a one-way love, it’s a two-way love,” said Washington.
That’s because Washington has been working within the Hillsborough County Public Schools system for more than 40 years, excelling his way up the ladder, from teacher to principal to area superintendent and now a member of the school board.
However, the journey for Washington really began as a student. Looking at old yearbook photos, it’s evident how special a place Middleton is for Washington.
He was a star in four different sports, eventually earning the nickname “Shake” on the basketball court.
“I used to have a stop and go move, shake move, stop and go, and coach started calling me, “Shake, he’s shaking,” it’s funny how you get nicknames,” said Washington.
Washington graduated from Middleton in 1968, a year he’ll never forget.
“The school burnt down, teachers went on strike and Martin Luther King was assassinated my senior year,” said Washington.
He went on to earn a football scholarship at Kentucky State University.
“My only outlet to go to college was to play ball,” said Washington.
It was his love for sports that led him into education because he wanted to coach, and that began what would be a life-long career with Hillsborough County Public Schools.
“It’s kind of touching because you know we lived a great life. The one thing that we had was love in this community,” said Washington.
It’s fitting that Washington found his true love while teaching at Booker T Washington when he met a fellow teacher named Cheryl.
“You know, we used to eat lunch together and talk and have a great time, and eventually we started dating and now we have been married for 43 years,” said Washington.
Washington went on to become principal of the year five straight times at Chamberlain High School, eventually leading him back to where it all began, the new and improved Middleton High School.
“Always a Tiger at heart,” said Washington. “I was the very first principal to open up in 2002. When we opened up, we put carpet in the library. No other school had carpet in the library. A lot of the other principals used to say, ‘how did you get carpeting in the library,’ I was shaking things up to get what I could for my students.”
Washington may have only been principal at Middleton for three years, but his impact can still be felt to this day.
“One of the greatest moments of my life was when I brought the STEM program here, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math,” said Washington.
Janitor Earl Krbo says Washington saw potential in him as a student when no one else did, giving him his first job.
“I thank God for Shake, he saw something inside of me,” said Krbo.
While current Principal, Camilla Burton, says no one embodies the spirit and soul of Middleton quite like “Shake” Washington.
“What I leaned from him as a leader, it really is the love of community and love for people,” said Burton.
The auditorium isn’t only named after him. He helped design it.
“I always go back to my family, you know, my wife, my son, my daughter. We always have respect for people, and we always wanted to do stuff for the community,” said Washington.
After overseeing 34 different schools as an area superintendent, he was elected to the school board, where he is now fighting for those he once worked alongside.
“School employees should be paid, and I fought for that, and we got it, we got the millage, and we are going to continue to work,” said Washington.
“He understands what it means to be a teacher in Hillsborough County, what we face, and now someone on our school board is looking out for us,” said teacher Jennifer LaFountain.
Washington hopes to inspire future generations to “shake it up” when it comes to leading the way in education.
“When you build students, you build a nation,” said Washington. “And when students see me, they are like, ‘That's your name on the building?’ and I say, ‘Yes, yes it is,’ and they want to ask me all these questions, you know it’s a great feeling,” said Washington.
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