Two new principals find the job comes with a new challenge — a pandemic
The middle of a pandemic may not be the best time to start a new job, but two new principals in the Peninsula School District say they are up to the challenge.
Abbie Barabe will begin the school year as principal of Vaughn Elementary on the Key Peninsula, and Michele Suiter as principal of Gig Harbor High School.
Both will face the difficult task of keeping students safe from the still-raging COVID-19 pandemic when they return to school in the fall.
“It’s easy to say every kid needs to wear a mask and be six feet apart to the best of our ability, but it’s also easy for someone to know these are kids and they may not always do that,” said Barabe, who was hired in May.
A graduate of Washington State University, Barabe holds a master’s degree in education leadership from Pacific Lutheran University. She taught Kindergarten, first and fourth grades at Frederickson Elementary in the Bethel School District and became an assistant principal there before becoming an early-learning specialist with Tacoma Public Schools.
“Pre-K to fifth grade has been my realm,” she said.
Social butterflies
Younger students in particular will be difficult to manage in the new environment, Barabe noted. Children who have been at home for months will be craving social interaction.
“Most children are social butterflies,” Barabe said. “For some of them who don’t have siblings, they have been home alone, so are they are going to want to be with friends and have fun at school.”
For younger students, reiterating the rules will be crucial.
“Kindergartners will be the biggest challenge,” Barabe said. “For some of them, they don’t know how schools work at all. We can’t put them down on a rug and sit next to each other, it will be a really big shift for elementary school teachers and those kids.”
Gig Harbor High School Principal Michele Suiter has also had her fair share of challenges. She said the most difficult part for her has been not being able to get to know her students.
Putting faces to names
“Normally when I transition, I engage with students, but I’m sitting at my desk with the Gig harbor directory in front of me looking at every face, putting a name to a face,” Suiter said.
Suiter comes to Gig Harbor from Puyallup, where she was principal of Cascade Christian High School. An educator for more than 30 years, she began as a fourth-grade bilingual Spanish teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District. She is a graduate of Azusa Pacific University and holds a masters degree in education of the University of Phoenix.
Suiter said plans can change, but the goal is to open up in the fall.
“Can things change? Sure. Is there a plan B, C, D, E? Absolutely, but there is nothing we can replace entirely of being with our kids every day. It’s best for kids and families,” she said.
At her Puyallup school last year, Suiter said, she saw the coronavirus coming.
“I prepped my teachers for what could come.,” she said. “When March 12 hit I gave them some forewarning they needed to be prepared for online remote learning. We flipped right away,”
Online as an option
Barabe added the plan is to allow the option for online classes for families who do not feel comfortable having their child attend school. How this will be done is not yet known.
“We will offer the virtual to those who don’t feel comfortable having their kids go to school, but the real question is how we can do that,” Barabe said. “How do you manage to get them all an equitable education when you don’t see a handful of them every day?”
Suiter has praised the district families, saying they have all been engaging on the school district’s surveys.
“Families continue to support and coming alongside our district and leaders to keep their kids healthy,” Suiter said. “This will end and we will be back together again cheering at football and soccer games.
“This is just for a time and season.”
Related story: Parents will have a choice, school or home.
This story was originally published July 8, 2020 at 12:00 AM.