Photos by JARED SOARES The Roanoke Times

Gene Jones, the new principal of William Fleming High School, dances during a test of the new stadium's public address system at the end of August.

Principal Gene Jones directs buses before the start of the first day of school Tuesday.

Gene Jones greeted students in front of Roanoke's William Fleming High School on Tuesday -- the first day of the 2010-11 school year -- and reminded the teenagers to stow cellphones while he looked out for potential dress code violations.

"He must have lost his mind," said Jones, the school's new principal, shaking his head, as he spotted one boy's red T-shirt and asked the student to turn it inside out.

A few seconds later the principal realized the emblem was a buckeye leaf (as in the Ohio State University Buckeyes) not a marijuana leaf. With a quick conversation and a handshake, Jones wanted to know if the student was interested in attending the Big Ten Conference college.

Seeing students through to graduation and on to college, the military or other career training is one of Jones' priorities.

He takes the helm at William Fleming following a year of transition in what was an otherwise exciting time at the school. The completely rebuilt school opened in September 2009 without a permanent leader.

Former Principal Susan Willis was entangled in a lengthy grievance battle after she was implicated in a testing scandal by the Virginia Department of Education and later fired. Doris Ennis, a retired and beloved city teacher, principal and administrator, stepped in as administrator on assignment.

On Tuesday, as students filed into school, it appeared William Fleming is making a comeback.

"The energy level is just high," said Mae Huff, a member of the school board. "I think he [Jones] brings something different to William Fleming, something positive."

Jones is a no-nonsense kind of guy. He said he does not plan to reinvent the school's leadership but vowed there will be more transparency and support for the staff. He wants to leave the testing controversy where it belongs -- in the past -- and he said he is ready to move William Fleming forward.

"The beautiful part about it is, you can always begin again," Jones said.

The school board hired Jones in June. He came from Norfolk Public Schools, where he worked as the division's executive director for high schools. Jones, 50, began his career in education 27 years ago teaching social studies, and also worked as an assistant principal and principal in the Norfolk area.

He already implemented a couple of tools at William Fleming to help guidance counselors and school administrators stay apprised of students' post-high school plans. The name of every senior will be posted in the "war room," and Jones and school officials will encourage every student to apply to at least three colleges. The wall will be updated throughout the year and tracked.

A map of the U.S. hangs outside the guidance office, and college acceptances will be charted by hanging a string or piece of ribbon between each student's name and the city where the college is located. College recruitment visits and scholarship information also will be posted, and Jones wants the Class of 2011 to bring in millions of dollars worth of scholarships.

"I am like Jerry Lewis. I want $3 million for my kids," Jones said.

His wish list for Fleming seniors includes Gates Millenium, Dell and National Merit scholarships and the formation of a National Honor Society chapter at the school.

Jones and the school division as a whole will be paying extra attention to ninth-grade students' pass rates. Remediation will begin midway through the first nine-week grading period, and credit recovery will be offered after school in twilight sessions.

"He calls them [the ninth-graders] the baby Colonels," said Huff, who has worked closely with Jones in recent weeks. "They will be his first class, the Class of 2014. He is setting high expectation for the kids. That is what we need to do for all the schools."