Holta Tegu was in her office as Girard College principal, talking on the phone as students rushed in and out of her office, asking questions and collecting supplies. It was like any other day at the Philadelphia boarding school, but no one knew it would be one of the last days students saw Tegu there.
After those days in December, all traces of the administrator were scrubbed from the website, and the mystery of Tegu’s absence would immerse the student body in a sense of worry.
The sudden disappearance of the high school principal is one of a series of events that has caused concern in the Girard College community. F. Christopher Goins resigned in 2023 after less than a year as Girard College’s president. Several weeks after Tegu left the school, Assistant Principal Layla Helwa also departed. By January, her office was empty, the walls were blank, and her desk wiped clean of any proof she was ever there.
“It’s upsetting,” said Stefanie Ashley, 17, a Girard College senior. “I feel like them leaving and a lot of switch-ups indirectly affect us and our ability to go forward and push through with our achievements and what we want to do.”
David Hardy, current president at Girard College, and Cedric Hall, vice president of student experience, have provided minimal explanations for the administrator turmoil. At a student meeting, Hardy said Helwa was “out for personal reasons.” When Hall was asked about the situation, he said, “I don’t have anything else for you right now.”
The Acel Moore High School Journalism Workshop reached out to Tegu and Helwa for comment but did not receive a response.
Founded in 1848, Girard College is an independent, college preparatory, five-day boarding school for grades 1 through 12 in North Philadelphia. Wealthy merchant and banker Stephen Girard left money in his will to fund a school that would educate low-income orphaned white boys. The school was desegregated in 1968, opening to Black boys after historic protests. Girard opened to girls in 1984. The school currently serves students from low-income families or single-parent households and provides all admitted students with a full scholarship to attend.
Most students come to Girard in their elementary years and stay through high school graduation. They create lifelong brother- and sister-like bonds with their schoolmates, the students say. They also describe forming close relationships with staff, who counsel them during their time at the school, and they often maintain connections after graduation.
Many students had bonded with and confided in Helwa and Tegu. After the administrators’ departures, and as the weeks went on, some seniors said the administration shakeup was having an adverse effect on their preparation for graduation and submission of college applications. Typical procedures usually handled by these administrators were interrupted because of their absence, students said, and students had to step in to help arrange community meetings and senior activities, such as prom.
Adeshina Tejan, 18, a senior and student at Girard since first grade, experienced delays because there was no person appointed to assist in sending in documents he needed for his college applications, he said.
“I’m struggling to wrap my head around how something I was so excited for could [become so disappointing] for me. This setback has made me lose some motivation, but I hope they can figure it out soon,” Tejan said.
Ebony Davis, mother of two students at Girard, is frustrated with what she described as the lack of communication. “I don’t understand why I’m finding out this information from my child and her friends first rather than from the president himself,” Davis said. “Girard has really gone downhill since my sister and I attended. I’m not sure how they will evolve over time.”
In the wake of the changes, senior Sanaa Fisher-Young, 17, said Girard has prepared her for life outside the school, but in an unexpected way.
“One thing that I can say so far that this school has set me up for…is chaos,” Fisher-Young said. “There’s so many ups and downs in life, and you never know what’s coming. I can say that Girard has helped me see that. Inside the [school], there is supposed to be structure, and it just hasn’t been going like that.”