Bayou Icon | Dena Staten-Sampson

Article by Georgiann Potts
Photography by Kelly Moore Clark

Proudly serving as the first graduate of Wossman to become principal there, Dena Staten-Sampson 
is setting a course for excellence for the students, faculty, and staff working with her. Because of her devotion to her students and the entire Wossman education team, and because of the obvious success which that team is achieving under her leadership, Dena is our May 2026 Bayou Icon.

Throughout her career, Dena Staten-Sampson’s colleagues have considered her to be a school improvement specialist. Nearly everywhere she has worked in education, Dena has coordinated faculty and staff efforts to improve the academic performance of the students they serve. Her most recent, and most publicly recognized, efforts have been at Wossman High School in Monroe, Louisiana. She spent five years there as Assistant Principal before becoming Principal there in July 2024. Using her experience and inherent love for educating children, Dena created plans for overall school improvement, developed academic programs and award systems for students, and strengthened communications with parents. Dena’s outstanding leadership has been recognized in several ways. She was named Monroe City Schools High School Principal of the Year 2025-2026. Wossman High School was named the school with the highest School Performance Score in Monroe City Schools with a rating of 97.9/A and was named a Tops Gains Honoree and Opportunity Honoree school by the Louisiana Department of Education.

In the academic year 2024-2025, Wossman High School focused on a school-wide theme: “Challenge Accepted.” Everyone accepted the challenge, students, faculty, staff, and administration, and worked as a team to focus on becoming an “A” school regardless of the challenges that they faced. With much hard work on everyone’s part, Wossman High achieved that goal. The entire school celebrated their mutual success with a school-wide pizza party. “We had the highest school performance score in Wossman’s history,” says Dena Staten-Sampson, Wossman High School Principal. 

Dena’s leadership was key to that success. She was both the first female to be named Wossman Principal, as well as the first Wossman graduate to hold that position. Because of her love for, and loyalty to, that school, Dena found the energy and creativity to inspire all to love their school. From that love evolved a pride that hadn’t been felt far too long. And that unique pride could only be brought by a principal who once walked the same halls that her students are currently walking: the halls of Wossman High School. 

During Dena’s tenure at Wossman, the school’s athletes have also excelled, winning eight state championships. The Lady Wildcats basketball team has won the state championship for five consecutive years. The boys’ basketball team has won two state championships, and the track team has won one.  Wildcat pride is growing along with every other aspect of accepting challenges while working together to meet them.

When Dena was assistant principal, she had to address the special challenges presented by a pandemic. All schools in Louisiana were closed abruptly in March 2020 and students had to transition immediately into virtual learning to complete their school year. The following year two-thirds of the students attended school virtually for the first semester and then most students did hybrid classes during the second. “Some families did not have WiFi, so as a school we had to find resources for families to ensure they had access to WiFi and were able to complete assignments,” Dena explains. “Also, assisting teachers with strategies for teaching online was difficult because this was new for everyone. It was also challenging trying to create some sense of normalcy for students.” 

There was one especially thoughtful way that Dena, Dr. Harrington Watson, III (principal of Wossman during that time), and her colleagues used to address this challenge of helping their students experience at least some portion of that normalcy. They created a drive-up graduation ceremony which was followed by a graduation “parade” so that family and friends could see the students in their caps and gowns. “We also delivered signs to homes for graduating students as a way to celebrate their accomplishment,” Dena adds. “We had to be creative in order to celebrate our students and not have them miss out on some form of graduation.”

Keys to Success Begin at Home 

To understand the keys of Dena’s impressive successes today, one need look no further than to her childhood and her family’s values. Her parents, Woody and Wilma Augurson-Staten, have been married for 57 years and have five children (Andrea, Rosie, Dena, Woody Jr., and Ebony). Both parents believed in the importance of education and made earning it a priority for their children. All five children graduated from a 4-year university because of their encouragement.

Dena’s dad was from Rayville, Louisiana, and graduated from Grambling State University and served until his retirement in the United States Marines. After retiring from the military, Woody managed an insurance company for many years before retiring for a second time. Dena remembers her dad thoroughly checking every report card and every progress report his children brought home. “He was strict on academics,” Dena says.

Dena’s mother was from Wisner, Louisiana, and attended the University of Louisiana Monroe (then Northeast Louisiana University) for two years. Her first year coincided with ULM’s first year as an integrated institution. After her second year, Dena’s mom transferred to Louisiana Business College to leave the hostile campus environment. After graduation, she worked for 25 years as a telephone operator for Bell South Telephone Company. She was the disciplinarian of the family and made certain that her children were respectful, well-dressed, and well-rounded. “Mother was an amazing home manager and budgeter,” Dena says. “Although she worked full-time, we had home-cooked meals every day.”

Grandparents from both sides of her family were also invaluable mentors for Dena as she was growing up. Because longevity runs in her family, Dena even has precious memories of her great-grandparents. (Her paternal grandmother, Lucille Staten, lived to be 106.) 

Most of Dena’s interaction with family beyond her core family occurred during family reunions and holidays. Spending quality time with her extended family in Wisner involved her paternal great-grandfather’s (Isadore Augustine) farm there. His home and land were filled with fun, laughter, and amazing food when the clan would gather there for family reunions. “My grandparents, great uncles, great aunts, uncles, aunts, siblings, and cousins would have a joyous time.” Dena remembers. “Family members would travel from multiple states to attend.”

The Christmas holidays were especially festive times for the family, encouraged by Dena’s mother. Christmas was her favorite holiday, and she made certain that there were surprises and good times for everyone. “After opening our gifts together as a family early Christmas morning and playing with our new toys, we would eat our traditional Christmas meal with our maternal grandparents (James and Rosie Augurson), aunt, and uncle,” Dena says. “After eating, we would visit our paternal grandmother, Lucille Staten, and spend time with my father’s family. We were always very family-oriented, and enjoyed spending time together.”

Growing up in such a close-knit family ensured that Dena felt loved and nurtured. She and her siblings were all encouraged to honor family values such as faith, interdependence, and helping others whenever and wherever possible. Church attendance and participation in church activities were not optional. The family attended the same church as Dena’s maternal grandparents – St. Matthew Church of Christ Holiness. The children attended Vacation Bible School there every summer and were members of the Bible Quiz team there. Dena’s grandmother was the Bible Quiz team coordinator. “She quizzed and prepared us for competition throughout the summers,” Dena remembers. “Our church was the reigning champion for many years.”

Dena’s maternal grandfather James Augurson    taught her the importance of a strong work ethic and to always give your best to every task at hand. Her grandmother taught her the importance of prayer as well as care, concern, and empathy for others.  “My grandmother Rosie Augurson would always say, ‘If you can help someone, then help them, but definitely, don’t hurt them’,” Dena explains. “The first scripture she taught my siblings and me was ‘In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy path.’ We recited this scripture at every family gathering and still do so today.”  

Dena’s Personal Education Journey

Dena describes herself as “. . . a proud product of Monroe City Schools.” She attended Burg Jones Elementary-Kindergarten, Minnie Ruffin Elementary, Parkview Elementary, Thomas Jefferson Junior High, and graduated from Wossman High School.

At Wossman, Dena was involved in a number of school-related activities. She was a member of the band, served as vice-president of the student body, was a member of the Wossman Student Council and the National Honor Society, served as editor of the school newspaper and co-editor of the yearbook, and was a member in the Journalism Club and SADD. Each experience added to her growth as an individual.

From her band experience, Dena learned discipline, precision, and the importance of teamwork. The National Honor Society taught her the importance of giving back to the community through its community service participation requirements. “I was drawn to these organizations because I enjoyed serving in a leadership capacity and advocating/assisting my peers,” Dena explains. “Writing has always been a hobby, so I wrote articles for the school newspaper and poetry. I also like photography, so leading the yearbook committee came naturally.” Prophetically, Dena was voted “Most Likely to Succeed” her senior year at Wossman. 

There were individual mentors outside of her family who also helped Dena grow. Mr. James Grady Jones (her principal at Wossman) taught her fairness, compassion, and the importance of building relationships. (Today she builds relationships with her students just as she watched Mr. Jones do that when she was a student.) Another was Ms. Ola Mae Tennant, her high school science teacher. From her Dena learned the importance of having passion and for going over and beyond what is required. It was from Ms. Tennant that Dena learned a lesson that has proved especially invaluable to her in her present career. That lesson? The importance of cultivating a love for what you do, embracing school spirit, and taking pride in being a Wildcat. A third was Ms. Rosie Lee, an English teacher at Wossman. Even though Dena never had a class under Ms. Lee (Dena was in the gifted and talented program), she learned from her the importance of using her voice. “She taught me not to dwell in silence when you do not necessarily agree with what someone else is saying or doing,” Dena recalls. “She taught me to speak up not only for myself but also for others.”  There were others – Coach George Belton and Coach David Norman who taught social studies and Mrs. Tamara McCarter who taught gifted and talented English and math – who Dena credits with her success as a teacher and principal today.

Like her sisters, Dena chose the University of Louisiana Monroe (Northeast Louisiana University at the time) for her university education. Although she originally wanted to be a nurse anesthetist, during her sophomore year she changed her major to education. It was a perfect fit. Dena graduated in 1994 with her BA in Elementary Education. In 2005 she returned to ULM, earning her Masters of Education in Educational Leadership in 2007. Later she earned her 30+ graduate hours there. 

mong many important teachers that she encountered at ULM, one – Dr. Veronica Lewis – stands out. Dr. Lewis taught Child Psychology and taught Dena how to understand the diverse background of children. “She inspired me to advocate for children who cannot advocate for themselves,” Dena says.

Building a Career

Dena’s first “real” jobs came through the City of Monroe’s summer program. She worked four summers as a clerical worker. She began in the Street Department and ended in the Mayor’s Office. “These summer jobs taught me professionalism, time management, communication skills, how to work with others, and responsibility,” Dena says.

After graduating from the university, Dena embarked on an education career that included classroom teaching as well as administrative assignments. She began at Carver Elementary as a PreK and kindergarten teacher. From there she worked at Jefferson Upper Elementary as a 3-5 grade teacher and math lab teacher. In 2006-2007 she was named Teacher of the Year. For the Ouachita Parish School System she worked at Richwood High first as Title I Reading and Math Coordinator, and then later as Curriculum Coordinator where she led professional development for teachers, tracked academic data for the school, worked to improve the overall academics of the school, and created programs/activities to better the academic experiences of students.  With a unique set of work experiences, Dena was ready to return “home” to her Wildcat roots and become assistant principal at Wossman.

Once a Wildcat

One of the ways that Dena “connects” with her students is by sharing her own memories as a Wildcat. She keeps a copy of her 1990 Wossman yearbook in her office which she shares with students. Dena also proudly displays her high school diploma in her office.

Dena loves to ride the school bus with her students when they are going to athletic games. She enjoys this chance to be with the students and really get to know them. One such trip ended in laughter shared by all on board. “I was sitting facing the aisle having a conversation with the cheerleader sponsor, (I know — we always tell students to face forward) when the bus turned onto the highway and I slid across the seat. One of the cheerleaders said, ‘Mrs. Sampson needs a seatbelt.’ It was just another way to create a memory with my students!”

Dena’s deep love for Wossman is coupled with her sincere desire to see her students succeed. There are three generations of Wossman graduates in her family and together they sponsor scholarships for Wossman students. 

Love, Marriage, and Tomorrow

Dena met Terrance Sampson, Sr. in July 1990 while she was in college. They married the following year. She says that he has always been her greatest supporter. Terrance Sr. is a professional truck driver and for a time in the 1990’s the couple owned Sampson Trucking, Inc. Dena learned how to dispatch trucks so that she could become the dispatcher for the company. “We have always tried to make one another’s dreams come true,” Dena says. “We don’t limit each other. Together, we believe that we are limitless in what we are able to achieve. We taught our children the same.”

Terrance and Dena will celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary this year. Together they have created a family that reflects the multi-generational family values that they both hold dear. They have three children. Daughter Dr. Shaterrica Sampson-Maloney PhD works as a Clinical Supervisor. First son Torrence Sampson is an Operations Senior Specialist 3 for a mortgage company. Second son Terrance Sampson Jr. works in occupational therapy specializing in eldercare. They have two grandchildren: Toryn and Tylen.  

Nelson Mandela (1918 – 2013 / former President of South Africa) once wrote, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” There is truth in that – but in an even more personal sense. That change begins with a single child in a classroom. Teachers use education every day to change the individual lives of those who come under their care. And so do principals who also work tirelessly to exact positive change in those entrusted in their care. Dena Staten-Sampson is an excellent example of leading that drive for change, one student at a time. We should all be grateful.