Newton High School - Newtonian Yearbook (Newton, MA)

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ADMINISTRATION Mr. Richard W. Mechem Principal The central administration at Newton High School functions differently than the administration in most public secondary schools. Newton High School enjoys the freedom necessary to operate in t0day's complex and rapidly changing world. This tradition of free- dom, held for over 100 years, has enabled Newton High School to remain among the top public second- ary schools in ,the country. Furthermore, this inde- pendence and support have given the Principal the opportunity to extend this tradition to the individual teachers and other administrators at Newton High School. On the negative side such independence makes it difficult to maintain lines of communication. The di- rect contact between the Superintendent's oilice and the individual student and parent has been decreased. This is a calculated risk, but the success of the pro- gram throughout the years seems to justify this risk. The House Plan at Newton High School is an- other example of the same principle. It creates op- portunities for smaller groups of students and teach- ers to exercise initiative and judgment, at the same time as it moves the central administration one step further from the individual student and teacher. Although seven years of experience with the House Plan cannot compare with over 100 years of total experience at Newton High School, the decision to inaugurate the Plan seems to have been justified. But the basic dilemma remains: how can we com- bine centralized control and supervision with inde- pendence and individuality? Our answer is to lessen the effects of the central administration and increase the independence demonstrated by the houses and the students and teachers therein. At the risk of oversimplification, we might say that the less the stu- dent sees of the central administration the better! It is important to keep in mind that this de-cen- tralization Cthe House Planj was superimposed upon an already existing academic independence Cthe de- partmental structureb. Since the departments have contributed so much to the strength of Newton High School throughout the years, their integrity was main- tained when the House Plan was established. Thus, we now have two separate channels of communica- tion and control working at Newton High School. Sometimes they parallel each other, sometimes they reinforce each other, and sometimes they meet head- on. The sum of the problems resulting from the above define the most important daily role of the central Mrs. McDermott Mrs. Miskella Mrs. Billings

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Mrs. Copeland Mrs. Russo Mrs. Linde Mrs. Turner administration, namely, to coordinate and integrate these sometimes divergent and powerful forces into a unified whole. At times this can be frustrating, since each individual andf or group would like the school as a total institution to fully support his or its activities. However, the central administration, in considering all aspects of our fully comprehensive high school, often provides direction in a more subtle and less dramatic fashion. This is ultimately a strength, rather than a weakness, since the strength of Newton High School comes from the strength of its divergent programs and from the marvelous in- dividuals who are carrying them out. A further area of major concern to the central ad- ministration is the relationship of Newton High School to the Newton School Department, to the New- ton Community and to the world at large. One of the main reasons for Newton's eminence in the educa- tional world is the fact that the High School has dealt directly with institutions and groups throughout the nation which are interested in quality education. Newton High School has felt that the stronger pro- gram which it is able to offer because of its activities in the broader educational world justifies the lack of direct communication between the individual student and central administration. Finally, there are certain routine activities which the central administration must organize and super- vise which are not related directly to house or de- partment. The most obvious of these are Student Council activities, class activities which affect the entire school, and certain all-school areas such as the cafeteria. In the conduct of all of these affairs the student does, indeed, come in Contact with the cen- tral administration, but these are exceptions to our general policy rather than examples thereof. Thus the role of the central administration may be summarized as follows: l. Coordinating the departmental structure. 2. Coordinating the House Plan. 3. Coordinating the House Plan with the depart- mental structure. 4. Relating Newton High School to the Newton School System Cro the Superintendent's Office, the junior High Schools, and the Elementary Schoolsl. 5. Relating Newton High School to the Newton Community. 6. Relating Newton High School to the educa- tional world in general. RICHARD W. MEC1-IBM Principal M. Donald Mitchell Administrative Assistant