Most mornings, Principal Gary Warners stands near the front doors of Living Stones Academy, greeting students as they arrive. It’s his favorite part of the day.
“When students and staff greet each other, it’s a symbol of forgiveness for past failures, acceptance of each other, and the joy that comes from knowing one another and feeling known by others,” he said.
That simple daily rhythm captures what Gary loves most about being a principal—the relationships. “As a teacher, I loved getting to know my students and spending 175 days with them in my classroom and elsewhere,” he said. “Now as the principal, I look forward to that same feeling but making room for a whole lot more relationships with students of all ages!”
Those relationships, he says, are one of the clearest ways he sees God at work at LSA. “I see God’s love on display when teachers interact in caring, compassionate ways with students. I see God’s love in the smiles of friends as they play together on the playground. I know the Holy Spirit is at work here when kids genuinely feel sad about hurting someone else and they want to repair their relationships.”
A lifelong learner, Gary often draws inspiration from author and environmentalist Wendell Berry, whose book Jayber Crow has deeply shaped his understanding of community. “Berry has taught me so much about the importance of relationships, acceptance, and learning from our elders,” Gary said.
Some of his favorite days of the school year are those when the LSA community celebrates together, such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Lunar New Year. “We plan different learning activities and we recognize cultural leaders and cultural traditions that are not familiar to all of us,” he said.
When asked what he wanted to be as a child, Gary says “in elementary school, I was sure I would either be a professional basketball or baseball player,” he said. “Soon after, I realized that was probably not going to happen. It was then that I wanted to work with kids, teaching them about God’s Creation.”
That calling—to nurture, to teach, to help children know they are loved—has guided him ever since. “I hope our students grow up with fond memories of their time at LSA because they knew they were loved by God and the adults in the building,” he said. “I hope they remember how, because they are loved, they can show love to others.”
