This homegrown West Philly educator never imagined leading a school. Now he is one of the city’s best principals.

Torrence Rothmiller got his dream job a few years out of college: working in sports journalism, as a radio producer at WIP.

He quickly found out something surprising about himself — the stopgap teaching position he got immediately after graduating from Temple University was actually his dream.

“I started to fall in love with teaching, seeing the light go off with children, building relationships with them,” Rothmiller said. After a time working days in the classroom and nights at the studio, he quit the radio gig and never looked back.

That was 17 years ago. Rothmiller is now principal of Andrew Hamilton Elementary, a district school in West Philadelphia, the kind of leader who attracts a swarm of kids when he hits the recess yard, the kind of boss of whom school safety officer Cameisha Banks-Brown admiringly says, “He’s fantastic. He puts in the work.”

Rothmiller is one of seven winners of the 2024 Lindback Award for Principal Leadership, awarded to top district administrators for their dedication and skill. The others are: Khadijah Bright, Crossan Elementary; Kimlime Chek, South Philadelphia High School; Bahir Hayes, Bryant Elementary; Richard Mitchell, Bodine Elementary; Khary Moody, Ludlow Elementary, and Corinne Scioli, J.S. Jenks Academy of Arts and Sciences.

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Rothmiller grew up in Southwest Philadelphia, and graduated from West Catholic High School and Temple University.

Once he committed to teaching, Rothmiller earned his teaching credentials and a master’s in education at Arcadia University. He worked at Discovery Charter School, as an emotional support teacher, and McMichael Elementary, a district school in West Philadelphia.

Growing up in Philly helped Rothmiller connect with his students, he said.

“I’ve been around all types of backgrounds. I knew how to identify with them, and it made the job come naturally,” said Rothmiller. “Having that thing, that with-it-ness in the room, I was just able to connect with students.”

McMichael was a great fit, and eventually, Rothmiller’s principal told him he’d be a good fit for a principal’s position himself. Rothmiller kept saying no, and Brian Wallace — now principal at Meredith Elementary, then at McMichael — kept asking why not.

“I loved the classroom, loved my space at McMichael — I thought that was my career space,” said Rothmiller. “But I’m a person who if you challenge me multiple times, I’m going to do it.”

Eventually, Rothmiller entered an accelerated leadership program at Cabrini University, and became an assistant principal at Universal Vare Charter, and eventually at the district’s Blankenburg Elementary, also in West Philadelphia.

When Rothmiller decided to make the leap to become a principal, he went through two rounds of rejection. But early in the pandemic, an email popped up: He was in. He interviewed for several schools, including Andrew Hamilton, at 56th and Spruce, close to where he spent a lot of time as a child, visiting his grandmother at 59th and Irving.

“When I got here, this felt like home,” said Rothmiller.

Becoming a principal in a pandemic was a challenge, to say the least. The school had been without a permanent principal for more than a year. And the new guy was a rookie.

“The hardest thing was, how do you build relationships with people on boxes?” said Rothmiller. “I just took the approach of taking small steps with the staff. I had to prove it through my interactions, what I did with them daily. They’ll see, my word is true — I’m about children.”

One Hamilton veteran who saw what Rothmiller was about right away was Joyce Abbott, namesake of the hit ABC TV show Abbott Elementary, created by and starring Abbott’s former student, Quinta Brunson. Abbott was Hamilton’s climate manager when Rothmiller arrived in the 2020-21 school year.

Becoming a principal in a pandemic was a uniquely tough job, but Abbott knew Rothmiller had what it takes. Abbott and Rothmiller made home visits; he organized virtual painting parties for staff, building community in every way he could, understanding staff and students’ challenges, but knowing they could still do the work with the right support.

“He kept students, teachers, parents — everyone — motivated,” said Abbott. “It was difficult, but he went above and beyond in that area, and still said our students could do this. He said, ‘We have to continue going forward.’”

Progress was slow, but steady, and Rothmiller’s staff knows he won’t ask them to do anything he’s not willing to do himself.

“We’ve got a bunch of teachers and support staff that are dedicated to this community, and to our students, and we’ve all got our roles — mine is not more important than theirs,” he said. “I’m proud to say I’m working alongside them for our children.”

He coaches his staff, but asks for feedback from them, too, and seeks out mentors himself. Rothmiller is also now studying for his doctorate.

“I don’t want to stay stagnant in this work,” he said.

And the work is difficult: Student needs are great, and decades of underfunding means the budget doesn’t stretch as far as anyone wants it to. The unexpected March loss of his friend Devon Madison, Hamilton’s assistant principal, was a blow for the school.

But it’s still joyous, Rothmiller said. On hard days, he is grounded by the students who give him spontaneous hugs in the hallway, the kids who want to toss a football to him when they spot him in the schoolyard.

“They give me energy when I’m tired,” said Rothmiller. “I tell people, ‘You’ve got to come see our children. You’ve got to come see who they are. They’ll blow you away.’”

Rothmiller has big dreams for Andrew Hamilton — he’d love to be able to offer a world language and algebra. He’s already reordered the school’s schedule, moving to semester-based special classes, and taking advantage of the school’s strong art and music programs to have concerts and art shows that welcome families and show off what students can do.

“My goal is to always provide options to our children,” Rothmiller said. “I want them to be able to choose the high school they want to go to.”

Andrew Hamilton has a partnership with the University of Pennsylvania, a lush garden that grows hundreds of pounds of produce for the community, and a relationship with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia that brings trauma supports to children.

“We talk about math, reading scores, but we want to talk about the child — how are we getting to them, to support them,” said Rothmiller. “We are dedicated to meeting the needs of children any and every way that we can.”