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In 1990, living on his own as a high school senior, Glenn Faircloth didn’t believe there was much for him beyond high school. U.S. Army commercials kept playing on the TV in his small studio apartment. “Be All That You Can Be,” they encouraged.

But what did that look like for a young man who had spent much of his childhood living on the streets, in homeless shelters and in foster care; who was teased by classmates for his clothes and appearance; who fended for himself with little support until he was brought in by a friend’s family? What could someone like him ever be?

Turns out, more than he ever imagined.

Faircloth took a chance on the Army and, after four years of service, went on to complete bachelor’s and master’s degrees in science and math education at Central State University. While teaching and serving as administrator at various Dayton Public Schools, he earned a Ph.D. in education administration from Miami University.

Now, at age 37, Faircloth is principal of the David H. Ponitz Career Technology Center, a brand new high school designed to pave the way to college for urban students. A partnership of Sinclair Community College and Dayton Public Schools, the Ponitz Career Technology Center opened in August 2009, with over 500 students.

And if there’s anyone who can reach the hearts and minds of those students and their parents, it is Faircloth. He understands the unique challenges of urban students – through the lens of someone who overcame them. “It’s not one of those testimonies that I always talk about,” he said of his rise from the streets to a professional career.

“But I try to live by it. I know that we all have hardships, but at the same time we all have to work toward something. You can let this story or that situation bring you down to the point where you lie down and succumb to it.”

Two months into the school year, Faircloth is impressed with the partnership between Dayton Public Schools and Sinclair. It’s not just a partnership on paper, but an active, working relationship, something that is often rare in these types of schools. Sinclair faculty work alongside the high school teachers to shape the curriculum so that students will be ready for college. “They have been more than welcoming to do whatever is necessary to make sure this works,” he said.

At the Ponitz Career Technology Center, Faircloth wants to indoctrinate the students with a sense of excellence, to know and believe that a high school diploma is just the minimum. He wants them to be good citizens and humanitarians, to give back to their communities, be it Dayton or elsewhere.

Nearly 20 years since he wondered what he could be, Faircloth is an influence to a new generation of kids who might be searching for the same answers. If anything, he said, “They know it doesn’t stop here.”

By Tracy Staley

Tracy Staley is a Dayton-based writer whose work has appeared in the Dayton Business Journal, the Nashville Business Journal and the Lexington Herald-Leader, among others.