Entering my 32nd year in education, I have come to the conclusion that whether it’s the inner city students I encountered during my student teaching experience, the students in any of the three high schools, or the young folks I welcome each day at Centennial Middle School, students possess the same educational needs but tailored to their developmental stages.

The first half of my career had me teaching career and technical education high school classes. Coupled with 20 years of coaching, the experiences gave me a perspective of how important the application of learned concepts to real world situations is for student learning. A turning point in my career came at the end of my tenure as a teacher. When I was selected with four other teachers to form an educational research team. Our task was to research, recommend, design and implement innovative teaching and learning strategies. Although the experience was short lived, it served as a stepping stone to some many more fascinating experiences.

I left my teaching position to obtain my first administrative position at Tecumseh Public Schools. In Tecumseh, I served as Assistant Principal at the high school for a few years, followed by an experience as an Elementary Principal and Title I Director. It was in my Tecumseh experience where I had the opportunity to work the International Center for Leadership in Education. This association provided me personal and professional opportunities to present at national conferences consult with the national experts and participate in exciting programs set up by such companies as Microsoft, Toshiba and Apple. The lasting connections and experiences from those exciting years still have an impact on how I lead my staff today.

South Lyon Community Schools-Building Administrator
Arriving in South Lyon in 1997 found me back the high school level. Once again, I was fortunate to be able to work under terrific leadership and an exemplary staff. It became clear to me during my high school experience that the bar is set high for students and staff in terms of achievement.

The high school experiences lead to an opportunity in the spring of 2000, to become the principal at Centennial Elementary. I inherited an enthusiastic staff that had demonstrated a professional concern about the welfare of their students. In my transition back to the elementary level, the Centennial staff responded positively to the many challenges we faced that year. North Central and other school improvement initiatives were staff driven with a focus on student achievement. I also shared with the teaching staff the excitement of transitioning to our new building in the fall of 2001, Kent Lake Elementary.

After an interesting spring of packing and closing Centennial, the staff and I were grateful drive up to a beautiful facility each morning. As a building administrator, there are not many experiences more exciting than opening a new building. But just as the concrete set at Kent Lake, it was decided I would do it again in the fall of 2002 year by opening the new Centennial Middle School. Since the rededication, the CMS staff has not only realized substantial growth in student performance but has adopted a continuous improvement means of conducting the business of teaching and learning.

I am most proud of the CMS staff for the effort they bring each day. A culture that promotes productive relationships also results in an environment that is conducive to student learning.

When I arrive at the building each morning, my attention moves to many processes. The following is how the priorities are addressed:

• Safety and Security
• Student Achievement / Learning
• Continuous Improvement
• Respect