Schools

Norup Gets New International Baccalaureate Coordinator

Denise Tomlinson, a former Berkley High School special education teacher, will replace Sarah Fairman, who has left the district to take a position at the International Academy in Bloomfield Hills.

The has hired Denise Tomlinson, a former special education teacher, to take over as International Baccalaureate coordinator at after Sarah Fairman, who previously filled the role, resigned to take a position out of the district.

Tomlinson will spend half her time working as an IB coordinator and the other half as a learning specialist – as Fairman did during the 2011-2012 school year – BSD Communications Supervisor Jessica Stilger said.

Besides her two years with the district as a teacher, Tomlinson also has served as a Parent-Teacher Association president at and "an integral part of (the) Norup PTA," Norup Principal Paul Yowchuang said via e-mail.

Find out what's happening in Huntington Woods-Berkleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Tomlinson holds a master's degree in education from Wayne State University, a law degree from the University of Michigan and a bachelor's degree in Spanish and English from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, according to her profile on the career networking site LinkedIn.com.

"Denise will need to become a certified coordinator through IB conference attendance," Yowchuang said. "We are going to have Denise attend training as soon as possible so that she can assist teachers in IB implementation. This should not affect our IB status."

Find out what's happening in Huntington Woods-Berkleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The International Baccalaureate program aims to help students "develop the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world," according to the International Baccalaureate Organization.

As a learning specialist, Tomlinson will work with students who need extra help in small groups, with teachers on special projects and on data collection and analysis, Stilger said.

Yowchuang also has tasked Tomlinson with maintaining strong communication between herself, administrators and teachers, Stilger said.

Three qualified candidates applied, Yowchuang said, and each submitted a writing sample and interviewed for the position. Tomlinson's official start date is Aug. 27, he said.

Fairman had been with the Berkley School District since 1998, when she came aboard as a teacher, according to Yowchuang.

"We wish (Fairman) well in her new position and thank her for the time she gave Norup," Stilger said.

Bloomfield Hills Schools Director of Communications and Community Relations Shira Good said Fairman will serve as IB coordinator at the International Academy beginning this fall.

"Sarah is also incredibly busy making her transition from Berkley," Good said. "We’re very excited to have her as a member of our team and we’re looking forward to a fantastic school year with her."

Berkley School District students are among those in 17 Oakland County districts that participate in the International Academy, a public, tuition-free high school of choice that was the top-ranked school in Michigan and No. 5 in the United States on Newsweek's annual list released in May.

"Sarah Fairman is highly regarded in the IB circles. While we lose Sarah's long-term experience with IB, we don't see that as an impact on our program," Yowchuang said. "Denise has hit the ground running already and is enthusiastic about taking IB at Norup to the next level."

Bloomfield-Bloomfield Hills Patch Editor Art Aisner contributed to this report.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Huntington Woods-Berkley