Principal
Shanghai Admiral Farragut Academy Partner Schools
Total years of experience :25 years, 8 Months
In a word, as the principal of the school, I am directly responsible for the life and health of everything that affects students, faculty, staff, parents, and our community regarding the school itself. I am a leader-practitioner in that I teach one course a year for the purpose of staying current with learning methods, insuring good relationships with the student body, and to comprehend the pressures that classroom teachers live with, thus providing empathy in my leadership.
Educational Leader Certification - Shanghai Education Bureau
As the chief operating officer, I am primarily responsible for direction and oversight of day-to-day school operations, educational and extracurricular programs, and administration. I report to and is subject to supervision by the AFA superintendent of schools and to Chinese governing boards. In addition to logistical planning associated with opening a new campus, my duties include the following:
• Annual Budget - Prepares and presents a proposed budget (based on anticipated student enrollment projection) for the ensuing fiscal year and ensures that the adopted budget is enforced. The budget includes recommendations for, among other things, tuition and salary and benefits for administration, faculty, and staff personnel.
• Strategic and Logistical Planning - Facilitates strategic planning to ensure the long-term vision for the school and to secure its future. The Principal shall report monthly to AFA and Chinese leaders regarding progress of the strategic plan.
• School Mission - The Principal implements the school’s educational mission throughout the curriculum, extracurricular programs, and day-to-day operation of the school.
• Administrative Responsibilities - The Principal oversees school operations and ensures compliance with policies and procedures established by the state of Florida, AFA, and requirements stipulated by accrediting agencies in the USA. The Principal is responsible for submitting an annual self-evaluation to AFA.
• Administrative Programs - The Principal oversees the effective implementation and operation of programs for school admissions, curriculum development, supervision of students, academic programs and records, counseling, and extracurricular activities, including athletics among others. In addition, the Principal partners with the Chinese leadership to support the development of the school through recruiting of students.
• Personnel - The Principal hires, supervises, evaluates, and provides and promotes opportunities for the professional development of all certified and classified faculty and staff, other than staff personnel who report directly to the Group.
• Parent and Stakeholder Relations - The Principal works with stakeholders, school parent, teacher, and student organizations, appoints faculty or staff moderators and provides appropriate administrative support. The Principal provides opportunities for positive parent involvement. The Principle also maintains regular communication with parents through parent meetings that are held at least four times a year: beginning of school, Fall, prior to Chinese New Year, and before the end of the school year.
• School Representation - The Principal represents the school at meetings and other activities of the AFA China system, at conferences and meetings in China and abroad, and at other organizations or partnerships in which the school participates.
• Admissions - The Principal oversees the admission and recruiting process of the high school.
Shenzhen Middle (Secondary) School (Shenzhong) is a flagship public school in southeast China. The International Curriculum operates as an autonomous educational unit under the administration of the Ministry of Education, Shenzhen Municipal Education Bureau and a local principal. The curriculum is one of the most successful college prep programs in Asia with graduates (three year students) averaging over 2100 on the SAT, 117 TOEFL, and over 65% admitted to top 50 colleges and universities. Additionally, our students place at the top of AP exam score distributions, including English and the Humanities. Shenzhong alumni are highly valued admits because they break the mold of Chinese students through active and engaged learning, highly social citizenship on college campuses, and interoperability with American and international students and faculty in each facet of college life. Our vision and mission is to produce highly curious, problem solving intellectuals that utilize English as a primary academic and research language rather than simply learning in English as a second language.
• Successfully designed Liberal Arts - Liberal Sciences International Curriculum (IC) in a Chinese educational system with a mission of preparing Chinese secondary students for study in North America. Students that spend a full three years in the IC are admitted to the finest post-secondary schools in the USA where they succeed academically, intellectually and socially.
• Performance Responsibilities: Instructional Leadership, Program Planning, Curriculum Management, Marketing/Public/Community Relations, and Leadership Development.
• Complete integration of technology in the office, direct delivery of educational services, extracurricular and with parents. Shenzhong is now completely “wired in” and the improvement in the effectiveness of efficiency of delivery if services and support in quantifiable in academic achievement and standardized test scores and qualifiable in the campus culture.
• Academic Provost of the International Curriculum - Responsible for academic affairs, including assessment and design improvement of course curricula. The IC currently offers four secondary course selections and thirty-one (31) college level courses, including a seminar, taught to Chinese high school students by native English speakers. Students that spend three years in the IC possess high to near-native levels of functional English academically, intellectually and socially.
• Introduction of Western Educational paradigm in a cross-cultural setting on SMS campus including teaching models, testing models, theories of knowledge and learning, curriculum management, and evaluation of faculty and student performance using statistical methodology.
• AP English (Language and Literature) Instructor with outstanding Class Distinction (AP English: Language and Composition and Literature Seminar) - Shenzhen Middle School, China May 2011- 2015
• Teacher certified - Foreign Expert Certificate - Shenzhen Education Bureau
• Outstanding Performance in Teaching Award - Shenzhen Middle School, Shenzhen, China Sep. 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
• Foreign Expert Certificate Holder - Shenzhen, China Sep. 2010 to 2015
• Leadership, leadership development and evaluation of faculty and staff in coordination with Chinese counterparts and the education bureau.
• Development of a strategic method to improve potential candidates’ opportunity for acceptance and success in the USA educational system.
• Designed plan of research in Food and Dairy Science with the direct result of patentable intellectual property.
• Designed plan of application of IP for marketable use.
• Worked with tenured staff to produce sponsored work through grant applications and business to academic work partnerships for the campus.
• Worked with research and graduate assistants.
• Business development between the LSU system (LSU Ag Center) and private sector business including proposals, contact negotiation and project management.
• The development of vertically integrated strategic partnerships to ramp up and roll out realized IP.
I was pursuing a research degree in Linguistics with a minor in Educational Leadership.
A three-year 92 hour professional degree with a Major in Greek and Linguistics and a minor in Administration.
A liberal arts degree with an emphasis on Greek and Linguistics.