New Norup Principal Ready for a Challenge

Whether it's taking on the complexities of math and science, inspiring young athletes or boosting morale and academic achievement, 's new principal is always up for a challenge.

veteran Paul Yowchuang, who took over the position this year after , is fired up for his new role.

"My No. 1 goal is to transform the school culture into one where we're collegial and one where we believe every student can achieve, regardless of where they are skillwise," he said.

Yowchuang, who has been with the district since 1998, has many tools at his disposal to accomplish his mission.

From the classroom to the sports field

Yowchuang graduated from Central Michigan University's education program in 1997 with a dual major in chemistry and physics and a minor in mathematics.

He took a job at Dearborn Heights' Annapolis High School before joining the staff at as a math teacher in the fall of 1998. During his years at BHS, Yowchuang taught a variety of math and science classes and coached cross-country for six years and track and field for seven years.

"I was assigned to the athletic director job at the high school in the fall of '06, and I did that for four years," he said. "Three of the years, I was also an assistant principal."

While Yowchuang said he spent his last year at Berkley High School solely as an assistant principal, his ability to multitask did not go unnoticed.

"(As athletic director), we used to say (Yowchuang) was like Hermione Granger with the Time-Turner (a magical device in the Harry Potter series that allowed time travel) because he was everywhere," joked Paul Ellison, Board of Education vice president.

'I like to go where I'm needed'

In April, Superintendent Michael Simeck reached out to Yowchuang and several other candidates for the principal's position at Norup.

Yowchuang said he jumped at the opportunity, inspired in part by a contentious Board of Education meeting during the 2010-11 school year.

During the meeting, two Norup parents and the mother of one teacher at the school urged Simeck and the board to investigate why a significant number of teachers had submitted in-district transfer requests and to investigate what was causing the staff members' discontent.

Yowchuang said the incident revealed "an opportunity to come to a place where maybe I could help. I like to go where I'm needed."

He got started by connecting with teachers.

"We've done a lot of listening," Yowchuang said. "We've spoken with a lot of teachers over the summer. We're allowing teachers to have input on any changes.

"I think the morale has gotten much better," he said. "But I can't say what it will be like at the end of the year. We'll just continue to listen. I think they feel like, when they're part of a team, you won't see the high number of transfers."

So far, his approach has received a positive reception.

"I'm extremely optimistic about Paul — everything I've seen and heard has been wonderful, and I had a terrific meeting with him a couple of months ago," said Stephanie Pandolfi, one of the parents who spoke during the Board of Education meeting. "I think he and (Assistant Principal) Beth Meacham are going to be fantastic for Norup."

Yowchuang said he accepted the Norup job on the condition that Meacham, a former administrator with a stellar reputation, join him.

The game plan

Besides changing the atmosphere in the school, the new principal hopes to reinvest in Norup's International Baccalaureate program.

"We're very happy to have Sarah Fairman as IB coordinator," Yowchuang said of the administrator, who last year did double duty as assistant principal as well. This year, Fairman will be able to focus on IB, Yowchuang said.

In addition, the following steps will be taken to bolster the school's IB program:

• Time will be devoted to IB unit development.
• All young and new staff, including Yowchuang and Meacham, will attend IB training.
• A staff meeting focused on IB curriculum will be held each month.

In addition, Yowchuang said he and his staff will work to implement the Response to Intervention (RTI) process, which aims to help students before they fall behind academically.

"It's working well in every building in the district," he said. "It's been a little slow to develop here, so we're going to accelerate that."

Yowchuang said the RTI process will help the school as it works to shrink achievement gaps between different groups of students.

For example, Norup did not meet requirements set by the federal No Child Left Behind Act, according to 2010-11 results released in August by the Michigan Department of Education.

Mary Beth Fitzpatrick, BSD director of curriculum, technology, assessment & grants, said the school will work to assist Norup students with disabilities in reading who did not meet the Adequate Yearly Progress benchmarks.

And, while Norup outperformed most schools in Michigan on the Michigan Department of Education list of 98 Persistently Lowest Achieving Schools that was announced in August, it was the lowest-ranked of the district's schools.

Shira Good, BSD communications supervisor, said at the time that the district would redouble its efforts to close the achievement gap that led to the results.

"The RTI process is designed to eliminate some of those achievement gaps," Yowchuang said. "We obviously have a socioeconomic gap, but every school has that."

Besides RTI, he said the new Berkley African American Parent Network also will play a key role in helping to close the gaps.

"We just need to focus on every learner," Yowchuang said.

Recipe for success

Don't forget: Yowchuang once was a student, too.

"I was laid back, quiet — sort of how I am now," he said.

The Royal Oak resident said his biggest challenge as a student was staying interested.

"I tried to form relationships with teachers and subjects that I enjoyed," said the principal, whose efforts have paid off in his career as an educator.

Outside of school, Yowchuang is a sports junkie who keeps a pet python.

"I very much love football," he said. "I play lots of golf. I love music. I'm a big soccer fan."

To his students, he said: "Prepare to work hard, learn a lot and have fun."

Join the Berkley African American Parent Network from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Oct. 15 for an informational pancake breakfast at Berkley High School.