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♦ THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2007
6A
Houston County BOE releases principal hiring procedures
Special to the Journal
The Houston County
Board of Education was
asked about its principal hir
ing process during a called
meeting held Jan. 30.
In response to this
request and in the inter
est of transparent gov
erning, the board’s proce
dures are outlined below.
Procedures for selection
of principals and assistant
principals
The Houston County
Board of Education has in
place uniform and specific
guidelines for the selection
of principals and assistant
principals.
For principal:
■ 1. Input is solicited from
the school council on traits
they would like in a new
principal.
■ 2. All qualified appli
cants participate in a first
Houston County junior trio ready to take the next step
By NANCY HAWK
Journal Staff Writer
The second semester of
the junior year at Houston
County High School, finds
three students - as exam
ples for tons more - working
towards a future, even as
the best, their senior year,
looms on the horizon.
The aforementioned trio
are: Yevette Greenwood, Wes
Johnson and Amber James -
all at Houston County since
their freshman year.
They know their peers,
they know their teachers
and they know what the
need to succeed.
How they view where they
are, what they will have to
overcome and where they
see therpselves in 10 years,
is not a story often told.
Here then are their
thoughts:
What do most juniors
have going on this time
of the school year, pre
paring for upcoming
tests?
Test tips
Chuck Dumas, head
counselor for Houston
County High School also
offered this advice:
■ Register with www.
gacollege4ll.com. It has
lots of helpful hints to
get started if students
are interested in a four
or two-year college.
■ Along with the SAT,
don’t forget that the
ACT are also an option
when testing for colleges
and universities.
■ In preparation for
aU of the tests, HoCo
offers many ways to pre
pare for these tests, talk
with the teachers.
■ When juniors,
become seniors
September and October,
a parents night is sched
uled to get most of the
facts needed for going on
to a new level of study.
For more information
on these helpful hints
call the guidance depart
ment at Houston County
High School 478-988-
6340. If you do not go
to HoCo, then call your
counseling department
for more guidance.
Houston County High
School FBLA members
wrote Christmas cards
to residents at Summer’s
Landing Nursing Home
during the week before
Christmas break. The
cards, according to a
release, contained person
al messages and wishes
for happy holidays. The
cards were then per
sonally delivered to the
residents by Megan and
Brandon Seyl. The two
have a grandmother in
the Comprehensive Care
Unit at Summer’s Landing
Nursing Home. The chap
ter coordinates monthly
community service proj
ects.
Contributed
round interview by com
pleting the Principallnsight
online through the Gallup
Organization.
■ 3. The top 12 scores
from the Principallnsight,
plus any ties with the 12th
score, are interviewed by a
five-member committee con
sisting of:
a) executive director for
elementary or secondary
operations, depending on
the opening s level;
b) two teachers from the
campus where the open
ing exists who serve on the
Better Seeking Team for
school improvement;
c) one principal on the
same level from another
campus; and
d) one person from the
teaching and learning
department.
■ 4. Next, up to three
finalists are interviewed by
Johnson: “SAT Prep
courses are available and
tutoring. I help out with
tutoring on Mondays. I feel
pretty confident of where I
am in my classes. Teachers
really prepare us pretty well.
I would like to take more
math in my senior year but I
am not sure, since I already
have four years of math. I
am in honors classes and
other than sports I have a
lawn mowing business with
my brother, Clint.”
Greenwood: “I am an A
student and am taking AP
Chemistry. I am a member
of the Beta Club and the
Band’s Color Guard in the
fall. My focus now is AP
Chemistry to keep my GA
up. I will be taking the SAT
soon, so that is another con
cern. Mrs. Byrd, Chemistry
Teacher offers classes at
night to help.
“As far as SAT prepara
tion, I am going to get a self
help book at one of the book
stores, plus there is some
websites I can sign on for
help. I feel pretty confident
about the test, but that does
not mean I am not going to
study. ”
James: “I am an A student
and in the fall I am a mem
ber of the Band. Most of my
classes I am prepared for. I
still struggle through math.
I don’t work. I am in the
French Club and very active
with my church, Shirley
Hills Baptist Church, here
in Warner Robins. I am
signed up fir SAT prepara
tion classes.”
With GSHST around
the corner, have you
started preparing?
Johnson: “My U.S. history
teacher Mr. Tehran talks
about it the most. Most of
the material we receive from
him he highlights how if fits
with the GSHGT.”
James: “I am doing a lot
of work on essays. That is
the focus in my classes. In
general I am pretty prepared
and I am concerned more
about the SATs.”
Greenwood: “Test prepa
rations are work. When you
do the work that the teacher
gives you, you are studying
for the tests. I take extra
tutoring.”
Have SATs become a
big part of your prepara
tion for senior year?
Johnson: “To get into
Christmas cards
Ifllfr \ : IHHI
the superintendent and his
senior cabinet consisting of:
a) assistant superinten
dent for school operations;
b) assistant superinten
dent for human resources;
c) assistant superinten
dent for student services;
d) assistant superinten
dent for teaching and learn
ing;
e) assistant superinten
dent for business operations;
and
f) executive director for
elementary or secondary
operations.
■ 5. Consensus is reached
on a candidate and the
superintendent makes the
recommendation to the
board for employment.
For assistant principal:
■ 1. All qualified appli
cants participate in a first
round interview by com
pleting the Principallnsight
college you need a descent
score on the SAT. It comes
with work. You almost need
to start working on it when
you get to high school. The
graduation test is impor
tant for you diploma. It is
a requirement, not much to
be said.
James: Having a good
score is an important. It tells
what we have done while
here in high school. The
results of the SATs, is one of
the steps to college. It needs
hard work, even if you take
it several times.”
Greenwood: “I know sev
eral seniors and they are
talking a lot about the SAT.
The GSHSGT has a pretty
big impact if you are not
ready so I think, both of the
tests are important.”
Johnson: “Teachers do the
teaching. Part of the respon
sibility is the students. If
you sleep through class you
are not going to get what
you need. It is ok to have fun
but your future is still part
of what is being taught.”
What are your plans for
college are you looking
for scholarships?
Greenwood: “Not really
much thought to scholar
ships, but my older sister
in Texas has sent me schol
arship information, that is
based on writing an essay.
My older sister got $37,000
in scholarships.”
Johnson: “I am look
ing towards a sports schol
arship. I am hoping for a
scholarship in football and
or soccer. Otherwise I have
not been looking for other
scholarships. I have a strong
academic background, but I
also enjoy sports.”
James: “One scholarship
that I have been looking
into is the Miss Houston
County, which offers money
for scholarship.”
What plans do you have
for a college major at this
time?
James: “I am looking into
meteorology or writing. I
really enjoy writing.
Johnson: “I don’t have
anything solid but I have
given a lot of thought to
business, as a major.”
Greenwood: “I would like
to be a teacher in early child
hood education.”
WHhat part have your
parents played in your
high school education?
SCHOOL
online through the Gallup
Organization.
■ 2. The top 12 scores
from the Principallnsight,
plus any ties with the 12th
score, are interviewed hy a
five-member committee con
sisting of:
a) executive director at
the elementary or second
ary level depending on the
opening;
b) principal at the school
with the opening;
c) two teachers from the
campus where the open
ing exists who serve on the
Better Seeking Team for
school improvement; and
d) one assistant princi
pal on the same level from
another campus.
■ 3. The principal submits
his or her selection to the
assistant superintendent for
human resources and the
appropriate executive direc
HOUSTON , j
county Jel* JjpF • J
HIGH y
Journal Nancy Hawk
From left to right, Wes Johnson, Amber James Yevette Greenwood and Chuck Dumas,
counselor for Houston County High School. The journey may just be beginning for these
students but they are aware of what they need to succeed. Dumas reminds parents
that the school offers tutoring for SAT and ACT, along with a special program of trans
portation for students who can not get back and forth to tutoring.
Greenwood: “My mom is
my biggest fan. She always
asks what is going. Then
there are the times we talk
about things and discuss
things, she is a lot of sup
port.”
Johnson: “My parents
are a big support to me.
My grandfather also is a
big part of my support. My
grandfather and my father
are alumni of University of
Georgia.”
James: “Mom has been
a big help coaching me a
long. My dad has recently
returned to school and he
has really helped me with
my math the most, a big
issue to get into college. Not
to mention his assistance to
me, in Chemistry study.”
10 years down the road,
where do you think you
will be?
Greenwood: “I want to
be important to the Board
of Education, in a school
system. Helping to make
improvements in schools. ”
Johnson: “I think I will
still be in Georgia. I hope to
have graduated and maybe
even have a family.”
James: “Have my own
family started and be work
ing doing what I like to do,
tor for board approval.
About Principallnsight
The online Principallnsight
interview assessment is
used hy the Houston County
Board of Education as an
unbiased tool to select the
most qualified principal and
assistant principal candi
dates to advance in the inter
view process.
Created by the Gallop
Organization, the.
Principallnsight is the result
of 30 years of research into
the practices of great, princi
pal talent across the country.
The Principallnsight is
research-based and data
driven.
The instrument was
designed after studying the
very best educational leaders
and then incorporating their
identified traits to measure
talent.
Gallup defines talent as
after graduating.
Sheila Beckman, princi
pal of Houston County High
School shared some other
things to get students ready,
“ Encourage students to
go to school. There is no
replacement for classroom
instruction,” she said. “If
there is trouble in learning,
we have tutoring available
for students at risk.
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a naturally recurring pat
tern of thought, feeling and
behavior that can be produc
tively applied.
The goal is to identify can
didates who have the poten
tial to think, feel and behave
in relation to best practices.
It has been proven to be
valid and reliable with no
bias to age, race or gender.
Applicants complete the
web-based assessment at
their convenience.
It takes approximately 40
minutes.
The Gallup Organization
scores and reports the results
of the administrative candi
dates to the district.
Gallup’s report is based
on the candidate’s responses
and includes a score that is
predictive of the applicant’s
potential for success as a
principal.
“Beyond that remember
getting adequate rest and
8 ounces of water is a good
preparations for testing.”
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