What is your first impression of the high school, and what specifically did you notice that led you to this impression?
I am really impressed by the engagement of students in the high school, and particularly in the many options they have. On the first day I went to the high school, I went to see Mr. Benzing, but he was busy when I arrived, so I just walked around by myself for a little bit, and there was a student… I could hear him playing guitar and singing in the hallway. So, I went down, I found him, and what he was performing to himself in the hallway was beautiful. It was just this stunning music that I heard.
I walked up to him, and I said, ‘Are you preparing for a performance? Is this in service of an upcoming event?’ He said, ‘No, I’m just practicing for my instrumental music class.’
Wow, that level of talent that students are bringing to bear for a class. [It was] really exciting to me to see that that’s just classwork. I’m just so excited for the opportunities that students have here, and seeing their level of engagement, their passions, and their interests being brought to life at the high school makes me so excited for their futures.
What activities or sports were you involved in through high school or college, and what did you learn from those experiences?
I went to a really small high school, and so I was the co-president of the high school. I was the editor of the newspaper. I ran cross country. I had an after-school job. I love seeing that students here, even in a bigger high school, can have varied interests they’re involved in. I’m very passionate about young people being able to pursue their interests, because I know how important it was for me.
According to our research, your previous school district–West Springfield Public Schools–saw a 10 percent increase in the graduation rate and a decrease in the annual dropout rate, and gains in student performance. What are your goals for Strath Haven?
The thing that is most important to me is to listen and learn, to determine how I lead. I come in with the goals of listening and learning to determine those key initiatives that we need to work on together. I am starting with a blank slate.
What I did in my previous role will influence and inform what I do here. But I need to start by really understanding the entire district to determine where we go together.
Can you share some of your hobbies or interests outside of work?
I have many hobbies. One of my favorite things is triathlon. I love all three sports, and I love practicing them and gearing up for a triathlon, and having that as a goal helps me train and get ready. I also love gardening and reading, and I love skiing, and I love just being with family. I am grateful for the many things that bring me joy outside of work.
What national sports teams do you enjoy following, or are you a fan of?
I have learned that I need to be careful about this question. I’m not a big sports fan. I follow professional tennis really closely. …that leads me to open a blank slate for the more traditional sports of football, baseball, and basketball teams. I think I’ll have no choice but to become an Eagles fan.
How are you getting accustomed to the Philly and Delco culture? How is it different from Massachusetts?
People gave me advice before I came. They told me that I need to know my Wawa order, that’s important. Being an Eagles fan is non-negotiable, and I embrace that. I am also realizing there’s a real difference in the way people drive. Neither is good in Massachusetts nor in Pennsylvania. Both are very aggressive, just in different ways.
In Massachusetts, people are just angrier. They don’t want to let you in. They’ll cut you off. Here, people seem a little more laid back. There’s the ‘I’ll pass you even if you’re in the slow lane, I’ll go around you in the breakdown lane to get around you.’ So, I’m really learning about what it means to take on the highways and byways of Delco and the Philadelphia area.
It’s been great, though. I really loved coming here. An important thing to know is that I didn’t realize how many people I knew in Massachusetts who were from here, and they said, ‘You are going to love Delco,’ and they are right. They told me, ‘You’re going to love Philadelphia,’ and they’re right. I’m so happy to be here. I think it’s a great community.
I guess that answer leads to the question, what is your Wawa order?
It’s been more like get gas and go. I do need to work on that Wawa order. I was planning to know what it is for when we welcome the teachers back at the beginning of the school year, so I have to know my Wawa order. That’s my goal, definitely.
What kind of programs, whether academic, arts, or athletics, have you noticed so far in the Haven community that have stood out to you?
Well, the music program is undeniable, and I regret that I wasn’t here for the spring musicals, because I’ve heard they were great at both the middle school and the high school. I think the fine arts are also pretty amazing.
I walked through the ceramics studio, the ceramics class that was going on, and couldn’t believe how many wheels were turning and the type of work the students were doing, and I was gifted one of the bowls that students made from the high school, and I have it proudly displayed in my living room right now. I can see the amazing experiences that students have in the arts here, and it excites me and motivates me, and I feel like it’s really unique.
I think something that I bring to this is that I’ve gone to a lot of performances in schools. I’ve seen a lot of students’ art all across the state that I come from. And this is unique. This is special. I have a particular appreciation for it, and therefore a desire to maintain and strengthen what’s already here and what we’re offering for students.
What sort of school culture are you looking to create for the school district and the community?
I think the type of school culture that matters the most to me is one where all members of the community have voice, and that we take very seriously input from our students, our educators, our administrators, our family members, and that we particularly listen to the families and students who’ve been most historically marginalized, and how we can make sure that we lift up their voices and their experiences.
We need to make sure that we are always designing for full inclusion, and I know how much we can be stronger when we do that. There is a real workaround raising everyone’s voices in the service of better learning opportunities for all students.
How do you plan to execute the student advisory plan/panel method mentioned in your large students?
Like I said, I really do want more student input on this. Starting next week, I’ll be meeting with many student groups at the high school, and I’m really looking forward to that, all of the class councils, and the student council. I’ll be meeting with the GSA, the YAC club. I’ll be meeting with the SMASH group.
I look forward to hearing some of their input, but, again, being informed by what I did in the past was to seek volunteers who wanted to be on the Superintendent’s Advisory Council, and to be very deliberate about choosing a cross section of students so that it’s not just all the students who already have been on a lot of advisory types of committees.
I want a combination of students who we are meeting the needs of, and they are ready to just fly, and the students who are maybe struggling more in high school. They all have to come together. The Advisory Council really has an impact on the decision-making that I’ll be involved in.
How big would you expect the advisory council to be?
Once you get into a group that’s larger than ten, it becomes a lot more about personal advocacy than inquiry across a group. So, ideally, about ten students.
What are you most excited about at Strath Haven/WSSD?
I look forward to coming to work every day here, and that shows me how much I’ve chosen the right place. What I’m most excited about is continuing to listen and learn to guide my leadership. Every day, I get to sit down with people who have a vast amount of experience with the district, who are helping me learn about and shape where we will go together.
Right now, what I’m excited about is just continuing to listen and learn so that I can meet effectively.
