Q & A -- The new kid on campus

Named the new interim principal at Corona del Mar High School

recently, Sharon Fry was just getting acclimated to the cool air vents in

her office on Thursday.

Boxes of all sizes crowded more than a third of the office at the

nearly 40-year-old school. Less than another third hosted Fry and

Assistant City Editor James Meier, who sat down to chat with the former

TeWinkle Middle School principal.

Q: So, what have the first few days been like?

A: Well, really today [Thursday] is the first day. Yesterday, we ended

up having a foundation meeting at the district. So today’s actually the

first day I’ve been here. Very delightful. We’re in the process of

registering students for the upcoming year, so there have been a lot of

students and parents on campus.

Q: What, if any, moves will you make to prevent violence, such as

threats, fires and fighting, at the school?

A: I think initially I need to do some review and look at incidents

that have occurred. Oftentimes, things are done in isolation. And I don’t

ever want to react in a way that assumes that everyone is going to do

something inappropriate.

We nearly have an entire new administrative team at this site. We have

two additional administrators: Lee Gaeta, he is coming from Newport

Harbor High; and Jack Cusick is new to the district and is coming from

Glendora. He was an administrator at a Hebrew school.

So all of us are coming from slightly different vantage points, and

before you go and make changes you really need to sit and talk and say,

“What was the problem?” Then, “What other ways have you found to solve

this problem?” And then you slowly do so as you look at the issues.

I think 99.9% of the kids are wonderful kids, but there’s always

somebody who wants to push the buttons and you have to seek through

whether or not you want to make a rule for that other 99.9% when in fact

it’s such a small number of kids who really create problems.

So it’s really better to look at the issues from all the perspectives

before you make any major changes.

Q: Should zero tolerance be changed at all to give teachers and

administrators more discretion?

A: I think zero tolerance is a way to place a line. “These are the

rules.” Be clear about the rules. I think that helps administrators and

helps parents and students. If they know this is the line, there’s no

confusion. And I think sometimes we have a tendency to make the line

blurry.

But I think the zero-tolerance policy is very clear. I feel that is a

healthy way to help kids make good choices if they know the consequences.

Q: What’s being done these days to prevent Ritalin abuse and eating

disorders that have been reported in the past?

A: That’s an interesting question. Last year when I was at TeWinkle,

we had a parent workshop called “Growing Smart Kids.” And we were really

looking at the significance of healthy, nutritional foods and good

physical fitness in growing healthy brains. There certainly is a link

between those two things.

It doesn’t mean it’s going to make you a thousand times smarter. But

it does mean that for kids who are not getting that nutrition, they’re

behind, so nutrition is something I have a real concern about.

I feel we need to address that at the middle and high school level at

most schools in the United States, not just this one. There’s such an

image out there that you have to be skinny and cool. I think we need to

help kids become more comfortable with who they are. That’s certainly

something we’ll be addressing.

Q: You’ve taken the job for at least the one-year trial period. Would

you prefer that trial periods last longer than that or is that enough

time for both you and the district to make an informed decision?

A: I think that’s a good amount of time. I think this is a great

school, and I’m going to enjoy being here.

Q: What do you expect the major differences to be between TeWinkle and

Corona del Mar?

A: Probably a diversity of students. Each school has its own unique

issues and its own unique, wonderful qualities. And I think when you go

into a new school, you really have to look at that. You really need to

reflect on what you’ve learned in your past experiences, but you need to

see each school as a brand new opportunity for learning a new thing.

It’s almost like watching a flower open. You know there are lots of

flowers and every school can be a different flower, but if it opens, it’s

a slightly different kind of flower and you just need to let it blossom

on its own and deal with the issues that come up.

In most cases, the issues are very common -- issues of discipline,

issues of making sure the curriculum is up to the highest standard

possible. Those are what make schools so common in one way.

Q: Tell me a little about the Village Program that the district wants

you to bring over here.

A: I don’t think it’s cookie cutter. I don’t think you can bring over

something from another school. I think you need to explore what is there.

But what we did at TeWinkle was to put together teams of teachers who

work with a small group of students. Their opportunity to work together

was very exciting.

Let’s say I was teaching math and science, and you’re teaching

language arts and social studies. We have a common prep period. We talk

together. If a student is having a hard time in your class in the

morning, you can say, “Hey Sharon, when Johnny gets to your class, he is

really having a rugged day. His parents just had a fight last night.”

So we get the chance to become much more knowledgeableabout our

students. That was at sixth grade. At seventh and eighth grade, we put

five teachers together: math, science, language arts, social studies and

an elective. And those five teachers worked together with the same group

of kids. Those five teachers don’t let the students get away with much.

You can’t take that program and transfer it. What you can do is take

some of the characteristics that worked well and see how those fit in a

new location. But interdisciplinary teaching, which is what it is, is a

wonderful concept for students to bridge the gap between discipline, and

what you learn in math can actually have some significance in the English

class you have.

And it also helps teachers become less isolated. And I think most of

us are creative. The kinds of ideas that come out of those conversations

are usually kind of stimulating. So we’ll explore the characteristics of

teaming.

Q: What issues will you focus on here?

A: I think the primary focus is curriculum. Obviously, the history of

this school is as an outstanding school, but we’re always looking for

ways to improve academic growth. This is a school that expects quality

education, so any way we can find ways to improve education is key.

Another thing I would like to work on is the integration of all of the

people at this school. I want to make sure we’re all dreaming the same

dream.

Q: What excites you the most about the new job?

A: I love education. I love seeing students learn, and I love the

chance to help put the people together to make it a stimulating academic

environment. What I have found in the short time that I have been here is

there is a passion for making things better by identifying things that

are not quite up to the standards you want them to be and looking for

positive ways to improve that. And I think that’s really exciting.

I think an administrator has a job, and that is to support the growth

of students in the classrooms. And that’s by supporting the teachers. I

see myself more as a facilitator for teachers -- finding out what they

need to do their jobs better. I can’t be in 60 classrooms, so I have to

find the best teachers I can find to put into those classrooms. I then

have to find the materials, skills, supplies, whatever they need to do

their job better.

And what you want in the classroom is a teacher who is passionate

about what they’re teaching. If you have that kind of enthusiasm,

students are going to learn because they get caught up in that enthusiasm

as well. So I make sure teachers have what they need to do their jobs.

BIO BOX:

Name: Sharon Fry Age: Mid-50s Place of birth: Philadelphia

Childhood residence: Wildwood Crest, an island on the southern tip of

New Jersey

Residence: Irvine Years of residence: 28 years Family: Four

daughters -- Lauren Sipelis, Rebecca Ellis, Leigh Ellis and Jaimee Ellis

Education: Master’s degree from United States International University

in San Diego and a bachelor’s degree from Drexel University in

Philadelphia

Groups: President of Newport-Mesa Administrators Assn., California

League of Middle Schools

Hobbies: Sailing, skiing, traveling and reading