Business leaders become Principals for a Day

Patty Miller
The Edmond Sun

EDMOND October 11, 2008 01:19 am

— Throughout Edmond public schools on Tuesday, 30 businessmen and women had an experience not often seen in their daily work lives.
They took part in the Edmond Public Schools Foundation’s Principal for a Day program, exchanging places with principals and walking in their shoes for a day.
“This is the greatest number of participants we have had since the inception of the program in the fall of 2001,” said Edmond Public Schools Foundation Executive Director Karen Filley.
Superintendent David Goin told the participants, “It is important for you to see our goings on from day to day.”
“The foundation raises money for grants for teachers in the district each year,” said K. Randy Roper, president of the Board of Trustees, “and more than 90 percent of the money raised each year comes from our corporation campaign.”
In welcoming the guests, Roper told them they are finding out just how much the school system does for students today.
“It will not only be an interesting day, but an eye-opening one also as you see our principals looking after the future by what they do today.”
Principals for the Day at Cheyenne Middle School were Nikki Lodes with Citizens Bank and Charlie Burgett, Edmond Electric utility director.
Principal Debra Bendick told them being a principal at the middle school is all about traffic, and knowing where the students are at all times.
Bendick said there is so much growing at this age and so much growing at different rates.
The day began with Chihuahua Races in the gymnasium before school. Students selling 10 magazine orders received a walking Chihuahua toy. Lining them up on one side of the gym, the students sent the dogs walking, some in circles, to the finish line.
Burgett welcomed the students by giving part of the morning announcements over the intercom and said he was glad there weren’t any names to mispronounce.
In giving insight to what to expect for the day, Bendick told the two guest principals, “Whatever stance or tone you show the students, they will mirror it back.”
After visiting the Multi-Media class, both Lodes and Burgett commented on the students’ assignment.
“My college courses didn’t seem to go into that depth,” said 2003 graduate Lodes. “It is amazing to me the types of things they are learning.”
“I was impressed by the way they were reviewing the tests,” Lodes said of one class that was looking over its past exams to get ready for the end of year Benchmark tests. “Not only were they taking pride in what they had done, but they were setting their own goals for what they needed to achieve.”
In the old days educators thought it was about the grades, Bendick told the Principals for the Day, but now they know it is all about the learning.
In one class Lodes said she could tell learning was going on, but there was so much going on in the individual groups it looked like it was happening in utter chaos.
“This energy, there are not many settings where you experience this level of energy,” Burgett said.
Daily routine was one of the things that stood out for Burgett.
“I was impressed that every class had objectives and agendas written on the board,” Burgett said.
“It is the engineer in me I am sure, but when we were in the science class I was impressed with the emphasis on safety by the teacher,” he said. “I was also impressed by the nature of the experiment they were conducting (how hot can water get), and I was also impressed by the fact that they were all interested.
“The assignment they were doing was the kind of thing you would expect to do in a high school or college class. They were collecting data and analyzing it both numerically and visually.”
After visiting the SuccessMaker and Focus classes where students receive extra help or small group tutoring with core teachers, Burgett said, “It’s all about making it possible for the students to be a success in life. Everything you are doing is making them more able to achieve that.”
Other Principals for the Day had comments from security in the schools to programs offered.
Ron Carte from Union Bank provided funding for the Principals for a Day and was principal at Cimarron Middle School. A former Edmond school board member, Carte said he was impressed with the security in the school from the police officer walking the halls to the locked classroom doors.
“One of the things that is very apparent to me is that the money given to the district by the state places us as one of the poorest school districts in the state.” Carte said. “Our administration and staff do an excellent job with what money they have to work with.”
Memorial High School’s Principal for the Day was Tad Kennedy of Kennedy Tire and Auto.
“I was impressed with the programs offered for every student from the special needs students to the AP (Advanced Placement) students,” Kennedy said.
“They (Principals of the Day) are now our ambassadors in the community for education,” Filley said.

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