# A past principals display that tells what each leader built

> Build a past principals display with a portrait, years of service and the story of what each leader built, from the first head teacher to today.

Source: https://history-showcase.com/use-cases/past-principals-display · HistoryShowcase · Updated 2026-10-26

Keep the portrait row outside the main office and add what it leaves out: the wing one principal opened, the tradition another started, and the early leaders nobody ever photographed.

## What is a past principals display?

A past principals display honors every principal or head of school in order of service, typically with a portrait, years in the role and what changed under each leader, and usually hangs near the main office. HistoryShowcase gives each leader a profile with years of service, a summary and photos, arranged in a portrait gallery, a timeline of tenures or a ledger roster.

- Made for: principals, heads of school and school historians
- Where schools put it: Outside the main office, Board meeting room, Retirement receptions
- Layouts: Portrait gallery, Timeline, Honors ledger
- Visitors can filter by: Role, Year
- Cost: Free to use. No payment details required.

## A name and a span of years isn’t the whole story

The portraits outside the main office usually tell you two things: a name and a span of years. They don’t say who opened the new wing, who led the school through consolidation, or who started the scholarship still handed out at graduation. Early principals are often missing entirely, because nobody kept a photo or a record of their time.

A past principals display keeps the portrait row and adds the rest. Each leader gets a profile with years of service, a summary of what changed under them and photos from their time. Read in order, the list of tenures becomes a quiet history of the school itself, and students see that the building was shaped by people.

## How does a past principals display compare with a portrait row?

| What matters | Portrait row | HistoryShowcase |
| --- | --- | --- |
| What each leader gets | A portrait and a nameplate | A profile with years, summary and photos |
| Leaders with no photo | Often left off the wall | Included, noting a photo is still sought |
| Adding a new principal | Commission and hang another portrait | Add a profile to the draft, then publish |
| Interim leaders | Rarely given a frame | Listed and sorted with a Role filter |
| Formal presence | Dignified portraits outside the office | A portrait gallery on the touchscreen |

## What to include for each principal

- **A formal portrait.** The official photo if you have one, or a yearbook faculty photo if that’s all that survives.
- **Years of service.** First and last year in the role, so the line of leadership reads without gaps.
- **What changed under them.** Buildings opened, programs started, traditions begun, told in a few plain sentences.
- **Photos in action.** At graduation, at assemblies, at a groundbreaking, so each leader is more than a portrait.
- **Interim and acting leaders.** The people who held the school steady between appointments deserve a place in the line too.
- **Head teachers and headmasters.** Early schools often had a head teacher or headmaster instead of a principal. Include them so the line runs back to the first year.

## How to set up a principals display

A portrait gallery for faces, a timeline for the order of tenures and a ledger for the complete list, all opening the same profiles.

Site: Our Leaders

- **Principals** (Portrait gallery): One portrait per principal, each opening a full profile with years of service.
- **Tenures in order** (Timeline): Each principal placed by first year, so leadership reads chronologically.
- **Leadership roster** (Honors ledger): Name and years of service in clean rows, including interim leaders.

Visitors can filter by: Role, Year.

## How do you build a past principals display?

1. **Build the list first.** Put names and years in a spreadsheet, using board minutes, yearbooks and old programs to fill gaps, then import it.
2. **Find a photo for each leader.** Yearbook faculty pages and dedication programs may hold the only photo of an early principal. Scan them and add them.
3. **Write what each one left.** Add a short summary of the buildings, programs or traditions that began under each principal, then preview and publish.

## Where should a past principals display go?

- **Outside the main office.** Where the portrait row hangs today.
- **Board meeting room.** Board members and leaders see the line they are part of.
- **Retirement receptions.** Add the departing principal’s profile and open the display at the farewell.

## Past principals display questions

### Some early principals have no photo. Can we still include them?

Yes. Add the profile with their name, years and what you know, and note that a photo is still being sought. Add one later if an alumnus or family member finds it.

### Can we include interim and acting principals?

Yes. Give them a profile like any other leader and note interim or acting in the subtitle. A Role filter lets visitors view principals, interim leaders or headmasters separately.

### What do we do when a principal retires?

Add their profile to the draft with their years and a summary of their time, look it over on the touchscreen, and publish when it’s ready, such as the day of the farewell.

### Can we show other leaders, like deans or board presidents?

Yes. Add them as their own collection with the same portrait layout, so each group of leaders has its own list.

## Related

- [School Founders Display](https://history-showcase.com/use-cases/school-founders-display): The people who started your school: founding families, first faculty, first class and original documents.
- [School History Timeline Display](https://history-showcase.com/use-cases/school-history-timeline): Founding to last spring in one chronological line, each event with its year, its story and its photos.
- [Retired Teachers Wall](https://history-showcase.com/use-cases/retired-teachers-wall): Every retired teacher, the years they served, the room they taught in and what alumni remember.
- [Teacher Hall of Fame](https://history-showcase.com/use-cases/teacher-hall-of-fame): Induct the educators generations of students still talk about, with the stories former students tell.

Honor everyone who led your school Free to use. No payment details required. Start building, no account needed: https://history-showcase.com/start