When We Support You, You Can Support Them
There is a line in this week’s Member Spotlight that has stuck with me. As Patrick Donahue describes the intentional progression Allen Park Middle School has created for students, the message changes as students grow: In sixth grade: We’ve got you. Let us show you how. In seventh grade: Now let’s start doing this together. And by eighth grade: You’ve got this. Show us what you can do. It is a model…
Learning Forward: Forest Hills Central High School
When Success Isn't the Finish Line Forest Hills Central didn't need a new program because the traditional indicators were flashing red. Quite the opposite. FHC is a high-performing school with a strong college-going culture. That is part of what makes what Principal Jonathan Haga and his team have built worth examining. They looked beyond the indicators telling them things were working and began paying closer attention to what students were experiencing. What…
Meet Them Where They Are. Prepare Them for Where They’re Going.
At Allen Park Middle School, we believe culture isn't something you hang on a wall. It's something students and staff experience every day. And sometimes, a strong culture means being willing to look at what you've always done and ask a simple question: Is this still what our kids need? That question led us to rethink the entire three-year middle school experience. For years, we watched our 6th graders enter middle school…
When the Bell Rings for Everyone: How Engadine Schools Embedded SEL into the Fabric of Teaching
On a winter morning in Engadine, the hallways hum with a quiet confidence. In a single K–12 building that houses just 246 students—some of whom even stay an extra year to earn community college credit—Heather Luoto slips easily between roles: former science teacher, current instructional coach and 7–12 principal. She jokes that she wears many hats, but the truth is more poetic: She stitches systems together. Three years ago, Luoto noticed a…
Plans Move Schools. People Move Communities.
There are probably not many principal preparation programs that include a course on how to move an entire school. Yet this summer, that became part of the job description for my colleagues, Dr. Tim Moore and Lisa O’Connor. For the better part of last year, our district had been preparing for a significant transition. Our ninth graders would return to Howell High School, bringing all four grade levels under one roof for…
What’s Your Story?
One of my favorite parts of this job is hearing the stories that don't make the headlines. The conversations that happen in hallways at conferences. The coffee before a meeting starts. The moment someone leans in and says, "Let me tell you what we pulled off this year!" Those are the ones I remember. This year, MASSP is making a real push to amplify the voices of school leaders across Michigan, and…
That Was Great | Campers Take What They Learn into Life
The first week of Michigan Student Leadership Camp back in 2016 changed Paige Weber’s life. This senior counselor said camp expanded her world in ways she never imagined it would, meeting people from backgrounds different from her own, building lifelong friendships, and learning lessons that shaped who she would become. With three years as a camper and seven on staff, she’s not only supporting students at camp, but also in her own…
Member Spotlight | If You See It, You Can Be It – This is What Can Happen when a Visual Learner Becomes a Principal
While sitting in an interview for an assistant principal candidate, Evan Winkler, Brandywine Middle/Senior High School Principal (then a phys ed, health teacher and coach), heard what the person up for the role was talking about and thought “I feel like that's what I love about teaching.” After seeing that same person be successful as an administrator, and with some encouragement from building leaders, Evan pursued his certification through MASSP’s Path to…
From Your Board | Principal Burden Leads with Love
Principal Burden fosters a culture of caring and non-negotiables through a blend of personal philosophy, daily routines and structured leadership frameworks. At the heart of his approach is a commitment to seeing the school as a "microcosm" of the world we want to live in. The "I Love You" Non-Negotiable The primary non-negotiable Principal Burden has established is a standard of unconditional care. Every morning, he greets both students and staff with…
Level Up Accountability: How an Alternative Academy Is Gamifying Accountability Through Student-Designed AI Badging
Every secondary administrator is familiar with the compliance chase. In alternative education and Work-Based Learning environments, this chase is amplified. We require students to complete milestones that are vital for their future, yet they do not naturally lend themselves to a traditional A-F letter grade. How do you incentivize a student to meticulously update their Educational Development Plan, consistently engage in mandatory two-way communications, or map out a career pathway to explore?…