By Holly Fesperman LeeSalisbury Post
A man who has served the Landis community as a police officer and served the children of Rowan County as a principal for decades has earned the state’s highest civilian award.
The Landis Police Department nominated auxiliary officer and former Millbridge Elementary School Principal Dr. Kenny Isenhour for the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, an award given by the Governor’s Office to those with an extraordinary record of service to the state.
Recipients are selected based on contributions to their communities, extra effort in their careers and many years of service to their organizations.
Landis Police officials surprised Isenhour with the award at the department Christmas party on December 14.
Capt. E.D. Beck said the department felt the award was in order because Isenhour has worked as an officer as well as an educator for 30 years, putting forth extra effort in both areas.
“It was a very big surprise,” Isenhour said.
“There are a lot of good people who work hard to help make their community a better place and it’s a big honor for me to be recognized,” he said.
Isenhour said working as an auxiliary officer is his way of giving back to the community.
He also helps write grants for the police department to get the equipment and resources the small department needs.
Isenhour went to college to be an educator but when he graduated in the late 1970s it was hard to find a teaching job.
He took a job as a Sheriff’s Deputy in Cabarrus County to generate income and a year later he was offered a job at Corriher-Lipe Junior High as an in-school suspension teacher.
He became an assistant principal at Landis Elementary and later got his first job as principal at Knollwood Elementary where he served for 12 years.
Isenhour was named new principal at Millbridge Elementary when the school opened in 2005. He retired from Millbridge on October 31.
Even though he got his job in education shortly after he started police work, Isenhour said he decided to continue working as an officer because “everybody looks at their community at some point in their lives and says ‘What can I do?’ I just felt like I could help both professions by working in both.”
Isenhour said his experience in police work has helped him as a principal quite a few times.
“It always helps to have your feet wet in two professions, it gives you a better perspective,” he said.
When Isenhour first started working in the Rowan-Salisbury School System there were no school resource offices.
Meshing the two professions is something “we’ve had to learn to do a lot more since law enforcement has had to take such a direct role in schools.”
“I always felt like it was an honor to get to help kids. That’s the part of my career as an educator that I appreciate the most and remember the most,” Isenhour said.