What is disturbing about this is the kids and teachers really liked Barry Bacom, who by every accord was a perfect fit for PVRS. However, instead of listening to the kids and teachers, Miller chose Jean Bacon, never a principle and clearly not PVRS material but what should we expect from Miller who is also not PVRS material .
Sadly I see PVRS losing more students to tech (theirs some Karma for you , the old Templeton Principal runs tech who left to get away from her ) and sadly more loss of school choice. The spiral has begun and unless the SC steps up , I don't foresee a recovery unless parents,teachers, tax payers and the Select Board step in.
Remember for Miller its anything but about the kids.
Pioneer community meets principal hopefuls
By LISA SPEAR
Recorder Staff
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
NORTHFIELD — Community members gathered to listen to three principal
candidates make their cases for why they are the best person for the job
at Pioneer Valley Regional School.
School administrators,
parents, teachers and students asked questions and gave the candidates a
chance to share their education philosophies, their personal stories
and their ideas for the future of the school. Each candidate was given
an hour to speak at the public forum.
Barry Bacom“This
is a school that is really poised to do some great things,” said Barry
Bacom, the first finalist to speak. He currently works as the principal
at Dean Tech High School in Holyoke. His career started as a teacher in a
rural part of Texas, near Austin.
He started out as a social
studies teacher, where he taught a variety of subjects over the course
of five years, including world history, United States history,
psychology and sociology. After about 15 years living and working in the
Austin, Texas, area he moved with his wife three years ago to New
England. He enjoys real maple syrup and learning about western
Massachusetts’s rich history.
If given the opportunity to serve as
principal of Pioneer, he said, his first line of action would be to get
to know the school and the students. He would have group conversations
with the students to talk about their values and vision for the school.
After gathering information from the students, would he then take action
on issues of importance to the community.
He said he wants to create an environment where students feel
heard, where collaboration is encouraged, and where students have a say
in their curriculum. “I would be really honored to be the principal
here. I can tell that there is an investment in education here,” he
said.
One of his first goals would be to work with the curriculum coordinator to increase the number of electives and AP courses.
“I
hope that my legacy as a school leader is one of sustainability,” he
said “…If I get hit by lightning, the school will keep going the next
day.”
He also promises to be a visible and accessible part of the
community. He said he would work to create an environment to prepare
young adults for life beyond high school, while creating an atmosphere
of trust and responsibility.
Part of his plan would be to identify
student’s academic or social problems and build in support within the
school day for remediation and for acceleration. “Every students gets
what they need, not every student gets the same,” he said.
He said
the culture and the energy at Pioneer is what prompted him to apply for
the job as principal. “I was really impressed. I am really excited to
have the potential to be a leader here,” he said.
According to
information from the Pioneer district, Bacom graduated from Abilene
Christian University in Texas with a bachelor’s degree in secondary
education. He also has a master’s degree from the University of Texas
with a major in education administration
Jean Bacon
A third
candidate, Jean Bacon, said she would work with the community to
identify goals. She promises to amp up academic rigor by introducing
more advanced courses. She said she will work with the school to
identify goals.
“Where do you want to be in five years as a school? What challenges do you want in your education?” she said at the forum.
Bacon,
a resident of North Bennington, Vt., has worked in education since
1999. She founded Community Works Research and Development, a consulting
firm the PVRS District says provides research and program development
services to public school systems and community-based organizations that
serve youth. Bacon later became director of 21st Century Programs at
North Adams Public Schools.
She also worked as the administrator of teaching and learning in that public school system.
Bacon
graduated from Wesleyan University with a degree in psychology. She
earned a master’s in sociology and a doctorate from the University of
Chicago. She also has a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies from
Castleton State College, with a major in educational leadership.
She
said she likes to visit classrooms to see what students are learning
and what teachers are teaching. “I’m very out and about in the schools
that I work in,” she said.
She promises to work with students to
pinpoint their needs. “I think that the teacher and parents that work
with me find that I am very open,” she said.
The core values of
the school, specifically getting students ready for careers and college,
is what drew her to Pioneer. She also said she appreciates that the
faculty have time to meet and collaborate every week. “I like that it’s a
small school. I like to be able to know the school and the families,”
she said.
Robin WhitneyRobin Whitney, the second candidate to present, said her first goal would be to get to know everyone at the school.
“A school is not just a pile of data and statistics. What truly makes a school? The people,” she said.
Whitney
would like to establish mutual goals with teachers, parents and
students. One of her first lines of action would be to establish a
series of weekly and monthly newsletters to increase the flow of
communication between the school and families.
She said that she
would be a very hands-on principal, visiting classrooms throughout the
school day and working individually with teachers.
As principal, she would also visit the cafeteria and go to school sports games to get to know the students.
“The
kids will know that I am supportive of them, they will know that I am a
part of them,” she said. “The kids will know I am friendly; I am very
supportive of them.”
She said she would build mutual trust and
respect with faculty members by giving them the opportunity to be part
of the decision-making process and give feedback. “Trust and respect is
something that we will work on together,” she said.
If selected to
be the next principal, she would like to meet with each class
individually and would like to start coming to faculty meetings right
away to start building goals.
She said that she was drawn to
Pioneer because of the small size of the study body, which fosters a
community environment. “I want to be somewhere where I can really make a
difference,” she said.
Whitney has a bachelor’s in education from
Westfield State College and a master’s in education from Antioch
University New England.
She stared her career in public education
in 2000 as a behavioral specialist at Jaffrey Rindge Cooperative School
District in New Hampshire.
After owning The Robin’s Nest Preschool
and Kindergarten for 11 years she went on to Conant High School in
Jaffrey, N.H., where she served as assistant principal, interim special
education director, and behavior specialist. She was also assistant
principal at ConVal Regional High School and principal at North
Brookfield Junior-Senior High School and Lloyd G. Blanchard Middle
School, both in Massachusetts.
