Many people know Dr. Azar as the Principal of Wildwood. However, this September, her job expanded and she became the Acting Superintendent of Schools for our district. One of The Mountaineer’s editors-in-chief, Sandhya Rajagopalan (’20), recently sat down with Dr. Azar to talk about her job and how she’s been handling the transition of her first month as Acting Superintendent.
What are the responsibilities of a Superintendent?
“First and foremost, I think the most important thing is safety and security of the students; making sure security plans are in place, making sure the facilities are up to code, making sure they are all working. That’s the most important thing as superintendent to make sure that everyone is safe and secure. And, another great responsibility, is to make sure that you have a robust curriculum for students. One that is at the interest level of students. I think that is so important, so we have been working on that. The days are definitely filled with all kinds of fun things to do! Keeping the community involved and up-to-date is really important and it’s also a task that I feel like is my responsibility.”
How has your new position changed your day-to-day routine?
“It’s so different! At the elementary school, I was very hands-on and I was connected to all parts of the school, every single day. Here, I am a little removed from the day to day, which is sad for me because I like being so involved, but it gives me a greater perspective on the whole K-12. The days are filled with meetings, lots and lots of meetings with parents, administrators and students, which is similar to the elementary school. Having a broader view is something I really enjoyed learning.”
Many people do not know that you are also the Principal of Wildwood. How easy/difficult has it been to manage those two jobs?
“At first, I was very nervous about that whole prospect, but when Mr. Reid came on board, he just made it so easy. He knows the building, he knows a lot of the students and families, he knows me well and we work well together. Once he came on board, I felt such a relief because he has done a great job there and, while it’s a lot of juggling, I really have enjoyed it. I haven’t come to a day where I’ve thought ‘Oh gosh, this is a horrible day,’ I haven’t had that!”
Has being the Principal helped you at all in your new position as Superintendent?
“Definitely. [I’m] learning to be a leader and managing staff as it relates to their professional responsibilities, but also their emotional state. Just being a part of the staff and the students’ families has really helped shape my beliefs at this level. I know a lot of the families because many of [their kids] were with me from kindergarten through fifth grade and that’s a long time to know the family. I think that was the best preparation for me to be sitting here because I am sensitive to the family dynamics and their needs, so I think that has helped me here. Knowing the curriculum, knowing the students and how they learn, especially at the early level, has really prepared me for the superintendent position.”
What are some of the things that you are excited to do/ to implement in each of the schools?
“I’m really excited about the construction; it’s been going pretty well. I’m really looking forward to the completion of the cafeteria at Wildwood because the students are having a really hard time in the gym. Mr. Reid coined it “the gymatria” and the students are doing a great job with it, but it is impacting their recess time to get out of the building. I’m really looking forward to that being completed for them, but all kinds of great things are always going on at Wildwood: the MAKERspace, the coding, the Friday STEM activities. At the middle school, with their new construction and the MAKERspace and the new science lab, I’m eager to get into those classrooms to see what they are doing. The curriculum seems to be robust in those areas and I’d like to help support them as they look into new opportunities for the kids.
At the high school, I’m really interested in looking at the program of studies for the high school students and taking a deep dive in students’ perspectives on course offerings- are we offering enough opportunities for you? We don’t have engineering classes- should we be offering some? We don’t have coding or gaming, which seems like a very popular career path for students- should we offer things like that? Are we looking and listening to what students are saying they want to do when they finish high school and making sure the course progression leads them to be in a better position when they graduate? I’m looking at that, which is really exciting. We are also planning for those 12 classrooms, which is also really fun. I’m really excited about the things there, but I do hope students give their input about things that they want at the high school. Maybe there are some opportunities for some new courses.”
I heard some of the faculty talking about your Tea & Talk meeting- what are some of the things you discussed over the meeting?
“So, the Tea & the Talk meetings are open to anyone. Students—if they are available—can come, parents, staff members; this first meeting included a discussion on the Long Range Ed Plan and what we envision and how we are going to plan for Years 2, 3, 4, and 5. We talked about block scheduling; Mr. Sanchez and Ms. Giurlando made a presentation about what they envision that looking like for the high school. We also talked a bit about Biotech; there’s been a lot of talk about Biotech and the Academy, so we talked a little about that and that we are information gathering to learn about the program a little bit more. AP courses came up again and offerings for students. I thought it was a really nice Tea & Talk. We had about 30 parents and staff members that came, so I think it was a good turnout.”
What are some of your goals for this school year district-wide?
“The Board and I have created some of the Ad-Hoc committees related to Block Scheduling, Math, Biotech, and AP courses. In my opinion, all of these are related to the construction. I would like to, by January, have a firm plan about how it is going to work, what it looks like moving forward, and how we can make changes if necessary. I think it’s really important to get community input. We are looking at the use of our facilities; a lot of agencies want to use our buildings for different things and we don’t want to overwhelm custodial staff, so we are making decisions about who should use our facilities, so that’s a goal.
Probably the biggest one is student voice. I would like [the students] to be able to confidently share things that are bothering them, things that are worrisome at every level. Definitely the elementary school kids will let me know right away, but I want them to feel comfortable coming to me and saying “I have this idea” or “I don’t like this that’s happening” and together, work out a solution. Most likely, when they graduate, these are the issues that they are going to need to do, and I want to be able to support you before you leave us. Even after you leave us; I hope students will feel comfortable coming back or stopping in if they need us. I’m hoping I can have that lasting impression with them.”
For more updates on the construction or anything else, be sure to check out Dr. Azar’s ‘Superintendent Updates’ page.
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