Goodrich ? Two new principals will greet students at Goodrich schools this Tuesday’one new, one familiar.
At Goodrich High School, former LakeVille High School principal David St. Aubin will join Kenneth Andrezjewski, taking over as principal when ‘AZ? retires in January.
St. Aubin is eager for school to open.
‘It’s fantastic,? he said, calling Goodrich a ‘forward-thinking? good school. ‘I look forward to it.?
St. Aubin, also a U.S. Army Reserves Major whose unit is geared toward serving in Korea, doesn’t anticipate running the school boot-camp style, he said.
‘I learned a long time ago education doesn’t work in the same manner as the military,? said St. Aubin, ‘but that doesn’t mean I don’t use some things I’ve learned in the military.?
St. Aubin went into the Reserve Officer’s Training Corps at Western Michigan University, obtaining a master’s degree in educational leadership from Eastern Michigan University.
The new principal will focus on academics, career pathways, and character education, he said in an interview with the board of education last month. St. Aubin’s family resides in Genesee County.
New Oaktree Elementary Principal Mike Ellis, who replaces Kim Hart, the new Goodrich superintendent, is already well-known among students and parents.
A former Oaktree teacher of fourth and third-grade students, Ellis is elated about the first day of school.
‘I can’t wait for the kids to come back,? he said. ‘Now instead of 25 kids I get to watch over 459.?
‘That doesn’t mean the first week I’ll know all their names,? he said.
Parents stop Ellis in the hallway with mixed emotions’glad for his advancement, disappointed he won’t teach their kids this year.
He’s anxious to see students? reactions.
‘I want to see how they progress,? he said. ‘Now I can go in and out of the classrooms.?
Ellis earned his Bachelor of Elementary Education degree from University of Michigan-Flint, and his Master of Educational Leadership degree from Eastern Michigan University.
Most of his student teaching was completed at Oaktree, he said.
‘After a week-and-a-half, I thought, ‘Now this is where you’ve got to be.??
Oaktree’s new principal is singing the praises of his school team, especially secretary Pam Koon, who’s helped organize the quick transition tothe principal’s office.
‘To be able to take this next step at a place I feel so strongly about’it’s great,? Ellis said.
Ellis and his family reside in Genesee County.
Interviews with the three candidates were held July 26. The board requested additional time to select a finalist, and tabled the decision until a special July 28 meeting, when members unanimously approved Ellis? appointment.
No contract has yet been negotiated for the new Oaktree Elementary principal.