Melissa Skopczynski is the new principal
at Truman High School this year, replacing Tommie Saylor, who is now at
Kennedy.
Principal Skopczynski has served the
district in a variety of roles, including as an assistant principal, interim
principal, ninth-grade guidance advisor, interim assistant principal, social
studies instructor, student council advisor, creative studies instructor,
curriculum team chairperson and Mega League activities advisor president.
She has a Master’s Degree in K-12
Educational Administration from Concordia University; a Master’s of the Arts in
Common Learning in Curriculum from Eastern Michigan University; a Bachelor’s of
Arts and Sciences in History and Philosophy from EMU; and attended the Wayne
County RESA Aspiring Principals Academy as well as trained in Link Crew, the
freshman transition program.
She has been with the TSD for 17 years.
A graduate of Dearborn Divine Child High School, she and husband Todd will be
married 20 years this October and have two children, twins Brendan and
Sheridan.
She is the niece of Alfred A. Sheridan,
the former state representative from Taylor.
We asked her a few questions as the
2013-14 school years started.
What's your best advice to students who want to get off to a good
start with the academic year?
The best advice I would give to students
is to set goals, budget your time and get involved in your school! Research shows that whether it is a
sport or a club, there is a direct correlation between student success and
extra curricular activities. I would encourage students to make the most of the
four years they are here because they will go by quickly.
Parents are so important in the educational process. If you could
sit all the parents at Truman down in front of you, what would be the first thing
that you'd say to them?
Communicate with your student. Be supportive and don’t be afraid to have
those tough conversations. Know what is going on in their lives both in and
outside of school. Become part of
the school community. Many parents are under the impression that as your child
grows older they do not need you to be involved in the school. This could not
be further from the truth. Your child needs you just as much as they did in
elementary school but in a different way and a different role.
You took over from Tommie Saylor, who moved to Truman High School.
Saylor is an ultra high-energy leader. How would you describe your own
management style?
I, like Mr. Saylor, am a high-energy
leader. I like to be involved and think being highly visible in the school and
at events is one of the keys to being a successful leader. I would not consider
myself a micro-manager but prefer a loose-tight form of leadership. I treat my
staff as professionals and expect them to perform the duties for which they
were hired only stepping in when needed. I believe this form of leadership
brings out the best in people and also helps build a level of trust with staff
and students. I realize I have big shoes to fill taking over for Mr. Saylor,
but I am up for the challenge. I have had the opportunity to learn from the
best!
When you ask students about what they enjoy in high school, they
usually talk about specific friends, classes, teachers, clubs, activities or
sports. When you're the principal of a large high school like Truman, what do
you enjoy the most?
I most enjoy seeing students outside the
regular educational setting whether it is at a sporting event, Deca competition
or a Quiz Bowl match. School at times is such a formal place. Seeing students
outside of school in a more relaxed setting gives you the opportunity to get to
know them better and let them know that you really care about the things going
on in their life. Any educator will tell you that the key to educational
success is building strong student/staff relationships. I am proud of our
students and love to brag about their accomplishments. It helps validate that
you are doing the right thing as an educator.
Just a couple of years ago, the state of Michigan termed Truman
"persistently low achieving." But by last year, the school and its
staff was being noted by the state Department of Education as an example for
every school to follow, thanks to the way Truman bounced back. What was the
"Truman secret"?
Being placed on the persistently low
achieving list was actually a blessing in disguise for Truman. It allowed us to
re-focus, come up with a plan, and implement that plan to achieve student
success. We have always had a wonderful staff that was dedicated to student
success but they just needed some direction. That direction came through our
redesign plan.
Now in the third and final year of
implementation we continue to improve and are quite proud of our
accomplishments. What is the Truman secret? I contribute our secret to a few
things.
First is having a staff that is flexible
and not afraid to make changes and try new things to achieve student success. The
second is having a wonderful re-design facilitator, Ms. Kerrie Voorheis, who
keeps the staff focused and helps ensure that the strategies in the plan are
communicated and implemented by the staff. The third is creating a positive school climate and culture
that promotes respect and a nurturing learning environment.
Lastly is strong leadership. Until Mr.
Saylor was hired Truman was yearning for a strong leader to come in and give us
some direction. Under his leadership we were able to put all the puzzle pieces
together and get back on the path to success! We still have a lot of work to do
and I plan to pick up where he left off.
Are there specific goals that you want to see accomplished this
year? What would be the top three?
There are several goals I would like to
accomplish this year but if I would have to pick a top three I would have to
say they would be to improve building safety, improve MME scores, and decrease
student failures.
We are already off and running with
increased building safety. We now have 16 cameras that are up and running and
the director of security plans to purchase 16 more. We are also in the process
of installing a new buzzer system at the bus doors so the school will be
completely locked down during the day.
Parents need to know that their students
are coming to a safe learning environment. I will be working closely with the
school improvement team as well as the counselors, ninth grade advisor and
department heads to see what strategies and support systems can be put into
place to improve test scores and decrease failures. We do already have several
systems in place but need to re-evaluate and see what more can be done to
assist our struggling students.
