Video Interview

Superintendent Interview Questions: Rob

1. What is the history of your connection with Henderson?

    I was here 25 years ago and taught at Kopachuck and Harbor Ridge and my wife Gail was a counselor and part time at other middle schools, which is my direct connection with Henderson.  

1. Have you had any former experience with alternative schools? What do you like most about alternative schools?

    I’ve had a lot of experience, I’ve never taught at an alternative school or been a principal, but have been involved as well as my wife. I’ve been involved at alternative schools in Port Angeles and other schools. I think alternative schools are a second option school and are more personalized and relevant, where you can learn more.

1. How would you characterize the differences between Henderson, Gig Harbor and Peninsula?

    There’s easily the number difference. You have what they call comprehensive schools including Peninsula and Gig Harbor. They are comprehensive partially because of the programs they offer so they probably have a wider range of programs, classes and courses that kids can take with all the athletics and clubs. When you think comprehensive high schools, they’re a little more robust and there are some standardness, just typical of what America thinks when they think of high school. Henderson Bay I think does try to really say “Okay, what is it that our individual kids need and how do we help our kids get that?” I think it’s also more open, willing and flexible enough to change programs and create a school that is more aligned with the individual kids that are in this school than a comprehensive high school. You’re trying to create programs that are going to meet the needs of a thousand plus kids and that’s hard to do. When you’re working with a hundred kids, it’s a little easier to create programs that are a little more specific and personalized so I think that’s one of the big differences, hopefully with student ownership, what they’re going to learn, how they’re going to learn and the why behind that at Henderson Bay than they would at the comprehensive high schools.  

1. What do you see as the advantages of being a student at Henderson?

    That’s kind of what I’ve been talking about all along. I like that personalized learning so that you can get really good relationships with your teachers so that they know how you learn, they know the best way to teach you, be pretty real to your teachers and that makes learning safer, so I think that’s a benefit of being a kid here at Henderson Bay and then I think that the personalized learning is all about that.   

1. What are your thoughts about Henderson’s Wednesday curriculum?

    I don’t know very much about that. I think there’s a little bit of this why try stuff going on, is that right? I’m a big fan of that. I think the goal is to sort of teach the skills that make human beings successful so that’s about resilience and your perseverance and grit, dealing with the things that happen in life: the good, the bad and the ugly and how you respond to that. I think those are important skills and taking the time to teach those is hugely important for kids success and we sometimes don’t get that opportunity directly. I think we do it indirectly at our comprehensive high schools but not so directly here at Henderson Bay, but I think that’s really valuable and one of the things that we have always had a college career readiness department in the school district. This year, we’ve added the word life to that. I think the life readiness has been missing and I think your Wednesday core class are one way to do that, and I’d love to maybe see that expand to internships with mentors and project face learning opportunities where kids can really follow their passions.

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