FeedsAssistant high school principal takes top spot in Belleville
Shelia Brown, the new principal of Belleville High School, said she wants to help the school move in positive direction.
“I look forward to working with the staff and students. It’s going to be a lot of listening and watching to start off,” she said. “I’m not coming in to make big changes. I’m coming in to lead initiatives.”
One of those initiatives, she said, will be the addition of the Professional Learning Communities to the Van Buren Public School District.
“I applaud Belleville for doing this,” said Brown. “We’ll be able to see the scores go up, teachers connecting more and a lot of good direction out of this. There will be a learning curve, but it’s a good commitment from the staff and will be a terrific initiative.”
She should know, too.
The new high school restructuring plan, which will tie-in with the professional learning communities concept, is something Brown has experience with. She worked with it in her former role as assistant principal at Northville High School.
“The concept behind the professional learning communities is to switch the emphasis from teaching to student learning,” said Brown. “The teachers have more collaborative time and time to make sure the kids really get the content.”
“These learning communities are my vision, the district’s vision and I’m in line with that,” she added. “Now it’s time to rollup our sleeves and do it as a team.”
Brown was also a teacher at Huron High School in Ann Arbor for 18 years. At every level of her career, she said she has learned that all energies have to be directed at student learning. It’s about the heart of the children and the students’ learning.
In the past, she has created a task force to study socially and economically diverse students. Brown coordinated, identified and honored challenges from children of various economic profiles. She also integrated the challenge into staff development programs to raise consciousness and enhance the educational experience, she said.
Other educational works include coordinating staff development programs, mentoring programs and organizing an eighth and ninth grade summer transition program. It established a committee to design, secure funding and implement the middle and high school transitional program for at-risk eighth grade students in Northville.
“I have a real affinity to make sure teachers are successful and have the tools to do so,” Brown said. “I feel I can bring my years of experience in faculty and students. That’s one strength. Also, staff collaboration. I believe in teamwork and doing what’s best. That’s really important to me.”
“Belleville and Huron High School are similar,” she added. “The 18-years working at Huron, as well as the things I’ve learned from Northville will serve me well in Belleville.”
