BALLANTYNE | feature Flying High
Principal David Switzer Wants Ardrey Kell
Students To Soar
By Tony Mecia Photos by Shane Baskin
BY JUNE 2010, DAVID SWITZER'S duties with the military had taken him all over the world — to each of the 50 states, Europe, Central and South America and Asia. But that night, sitting in a tent in the middle of Afghanistan, he received word of what would become one of his most satisfying missions. His bosses at his job back home in
Charlotte wanted to talk to him about a new assignment: taking over as principal of Ardrey Kell High School, just a five-minute drive from the home he shared with his wife and two children. In nearly 20 years
in the Air Force
and Air National Guard, Switzer served as a navigator on C-130 cargo planes, helping direct their routes. For the last two years, he has been charting an ambitious course for Ardrey Kell to make it one of the top high schools in the state. By all accounts, he is succeeding in helping build the young school's reputation as a powerhouse in academics, athletics and other parts of the student experience.
"My main goal is to build a school that the community is proud of and involved in,"
34 BALLANTYNE MAGAZINE
FALL 2012