February 6, 2015

Continuing the 5 Questions

Question #5 of “5 Questions You Should Ask Your Principal”

What will be your “fingerprints” on this building after you leave? (Creating sustainable change)

It’s strange to think that I am pondering about my legacy only midway through my first year, but I understand the importance of this question. The very idea illustrates what I see as my vision, my passions, and what I stand for as an educator. Two main things come to mind:

High school is such an influential time on young people. Growing up is challenging enough, so I want high school to be a positive vehicle for the development of our young people. There is no better way to accomplish this goal than to connect them to the school through:

• Academic experiences that are rewarding, challenging and relevant
• Involvement in activities and sports
• Finding friends and acquaintances with common interests
• Providing an environment where students are treated respectfully by other students, as well as the adults in the building
• Opportunities to discover and build their self-identity

When all of these aspects are present, we usually find that students:

• Are invested in their education and future
• Are committed to their extra-curricular activities
• demonstrate more school spirit and pride in their classmates’ achievements
• Are generally happier.

By the time I leave Fremd High School, it would be great if people could say, “I’m proud of the way we do things around here.”

The second part of what I want to leave behind is a culture where staff feel supported to pursue their professional interests and growth. Don’t get me wrong--Fremd has benefitted from strong administrative support AND outstanding teachers long before I got here, so it wouldn’t be something “new” that I would add. But I definitely take pride in providing opportunities for staff to improve through professional development, conferences and presentations, classroom observations, and supervision meetings. I’d like to think that when I leave Fremd High School, the organization continues to strive to be on the cutting edge of educational trends, theories and best practices. We have a very dedicated and talented staff, and it is my hope that my leadership perpetuates this upward trend.

Highlights and Successes

• Congratulations to Coach Katie Giegler and the Fremd Speech Team on winning 2nd place at the MSL Conference tournament.  Award winners include:  1st place Informative Speaking, Emma Davies; 2nd place Humorous Duet Acting, Brian Rosenwinkel & Lucky Nanduri; 2nd place Original Comedy, Elisa Kim; 2nd place Poetry Reading, Emily Lavigne; 2nd place Dramatic Duet Acting, Johnny Barrett & Katie Haggett; 2nd place Oratorical Declamation, Johnny Barrett; 3rd place Original Comedy, Abby Cohen; 4th place Prose Reading, Rachel Lucas; 4th place Impromptu Speaking, Varshini Ramanathan; 4th place Special Occasion Speaking, Aoe Che; 5th place Poetry Reading, Ben Mathew; 5th place Extemporaneous Speaking, Jack Rosenwinkel; 5th place Humorous Duet Acting, Johnny Whitfield & Mike Downing; 6th place Special Occasion Speaking, Abby Cohen; 6th place Impromptu Speaking, Alex Bazil; 6th place Dramatic Interpretation, Brinda Dollu; 6th place Oratorical Declamation, Rachel Lucas; 6th place Prose Reading, Sayali Patankar and finalist Extemporaneous Speaking, Kristen Cardoza.
• Congratulations to the following ILMEA Honors recipients:  Roy Cho, Honors Band; Nathan Cornwell, Honors Band;  Grace Liu, Honors Band; Hazuki Okuda, Honors Band; Melanie Shaffer, Honors Band; and Anthony Fu, 3rd place Arranging; Andres Carrero, Honors Orchestra; Nathan Mo, Honors Orchestra; Jennie Yang, Honors Orchestra; and Emily Yin, Honors Orchestra.
• Congratulations to senior Haley Gorecki on being nominated to the McDonald’s All American High School Basketball Team.
• Congratulations to senior Hui Tian on being named as a semifinalist of the 74th Annual Science Talent Search.  

Upcoming Home Activities and Varsity Events

February 5-6	Orchesis Dance Show - Auditorium, 7:00 p.m.
February 6	Cheerleading @ State - Bloomington Girls Basketball vs. Palatine - 6:00 p.m. Boys Basketball vs. Palatine - 7:30 p.m.
February 7	Wrestling vs. IHSA Individual Regionals @ Glenbrook South -  9:00 a.m. Girls’ Bowling vs. IHSA Regionals @ Brunswick Zone Deer Park - 9:00 a.m. Boys Basketball vs. Evanston War on the Shore @ Loyola Academy - 4:30 p.m.
February 10	Late Start Day - 8:50 a.m.
February 11	Girls Basketball vs. MSL Crossover Championship - 7:30 p.m.
February 12	Girls Gymnastics vs. IHSA Sectionals @ Lake Park - 6:00 p.m.
February 13	Wrestling vs. IHSA Individual Sectionals @ Barrington - 4:30 p.m. Boys Swimming & Diving vs. MSL Conference (Diving) @ Barrington - 6:00 p.m. Boys Basketball vs. Barrington - 7:30 p.m.

For a more complete list, please visit our Athletics Page.

Staff Spotlight

Name: Jeff Williams

Position: School Psychologist, Varsity Football, Boys Track and Field

Years at Fremd: 3

Life Before Fremd: School, school, and more school. I spent time at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and National-Louis University.

Hobbies/Interests: Spending time with family and friends, coaching, and helping community members achieve health and wellness at Palatine’s newest CrossFit gym, CrossFit Pally (on Colfax next to the Post Office, and opening this weekend).

Insider Tip for Parents: We are often tempted to provide advice when really what the situation calls for is honest and open listening. Some of my most productive conversations that created change for students is when I dropped my opinions and preconceived notions and just kept both ears open.

Ask the Principal

Are you curious about something at Fremd but have never asked? Email me at ktenopir@d211.org. If your question is pertinent to a wider audience, I will include it in the next blog post.