By Anne Levin

When Lenora Keel began her career in social work at Deborah Heart and Lung Center some four decades ago, she never expected she would be spending 28 of those years counseling students at Princeton High School (PHS).

“I said I would never go into the school system. Little did I know, God had a path for me,” said Keel, who is retiring from her job as PHS social worker, guidance counselor, and mentor at the end of this term. “It turns out that it was meant to be. Everything I’d been training for was right here, and that includes parents as well as kids.”

Next Saturday, May 22, Keel will be celebrated by the school and surrounding community with a special Zoom event, “Afternoon Tea with the Queen,” from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Witherspoon-Jackson Neighborhood Association, the Witherspoon-Jackson Historical and Cultural Society, and Princeton Public Library are co-sponsoring.

Keel — known to many as Mama Keel, Grandma Keel, and Auntie Keel — is known for her strong connection to students and their families. She is warm and accepting, yet firm. “I’ve only had one time a kid cursed at me,” she said with a laugh. “I have told a few of them, ‘You should be glad corporal punishment isn’t legal!’ But they know I would never do that. I think they respect me. I don’t get on any kid’s case. I try to form a relationship with them. It’s all about that, and letting them know that you care.“

Raised in Trenton and a graduate of Trenton Central High School ’76, Keel started at Deborah after graduate school. She worked at Princeton Medical Center and Princeton House before coming to PHS as a social worker with the child study team. She lives with her family in Ewing.

Things have changed since Keel came to PHS in 1993. “What I’ve noticed, besides the increase in paperwork, is an increase in the number of students being referred for emotional stuff and behavior problems,” she said. “It’s not just about depression, but also social phobias, anxieties, isolation, and not wanting to come to school.”

At the same time, students have demonstrated more of a voice. “They are advocating more for themselves, speaking up for anything they felt uncomfortable about or anything that wasn’t right,” she said. “Students of color, especially, have been finding their voice. In the last five years, I have seen greater focus on social justice.”

Shirley Satterfield joined the high school guidance department the same year as Keel, and they became colleagues and friends. When Satterfield started programs for minority students, Keel became involved, and continued them after Satterfield retired.

“She has dedicated her life to the enhancement of students,” Satterfield said of her friend. “I always describe her as professional, faithful, loyal, caring — all those things.”

Keel has made a point of connecting with parents of troubled students. Some cases have been particularly challenging. “I would say to some kids, ‘Your mom and dad and I are going to split the diploma,’ because we worked so hard to get you through,” she said. “One kid actually thought I was serious!”

In addition to her counseling at PHS, Keel has chaperoned many trips with the students — more than one of whom has told her, “You’re worse than my mother,” she said. Her work has also included the Black Parents Group and Community Outreach Coordinators.  There have been honors along the way, including the YMCA Centennial Award in 2016.

Leaving PHS stirs up many emotions, but Keel is ready to make the leap. “I will take some time off to process this,” she said. “My husband, who has been retired for a few years, says, ‘Look on it as freedom.’ And I have already been contacted about doing private counseling for an agency in Trenton, so I’ll do that part time. And I am very active in my church. We want to do some traveling, too. I’ll just kind of take it as it comes — take it easy.”

Summing up her nearly 28 years at PHS, Keel’s voice wavers. “I get emotional,” she said. “What has always been important to me is to never lose sight of the fact that the kids were the reason I was here. It has not always been easy. It has been frustrating at times, working with so many different personalities. But I have been able to form so many relationships with administrators, teachers, and most important, the students. You’ve got to let them know that you care. I was able to say certain things to them that others couldn’t, because they always knew I cared.”

To register for the Zoom tribute, visit http://tinyurl.com/KeelMay22. Video tributes can be submitted prior to May 19 at http://tinyurl.com/KeelVidTribute.