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Page 24 text:
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Alexander Swaab Is Ap- pointed Schrei- ber Principal Dr. Killeen resigns to as- sume new position By leaving Schreiber in November of 1976 for a superintendent s posi- tion in New Jersey, Gerald Killeen, our principal, created an opening in Schreiber’s leadership. After reviewing the applications of over two-hundred prospective princi- pals, a committee of teachers, par- ents, administrators and students handed down the name of Alexander Swaab for approval by the School Board. Now, whether it is in the cafeteria re-directing kids who have temporarily forgotten where the garbage can is, or in the hall discussing curriculum changes with some concerned stu- dents, our new principal is working hard to close down the Adminis- tration gap. In early March, Port Light reporter Elizabeth Werter interviewed Mr. Swaab in his office. The Interview Port Light: What are your opinions of Schreiber so far? Mr. Swaab: My opinions of Schreiber range from some things that are very outstanding, to some things I find unacceptable, even undesirable. So, I would say that as I learn to deal with, and work with, the kind of situation that exists I can better shape my opin- ions. Port Light: How do you think the stu- dents at this school compare to stu- dents at, say, other schools that you’ve worked in? Mr. Swaab: I don’t think there’s a whole lot of difference in kids. I think the kids sometimes think there’s a lot of difference between them but I’m “I think a principal has to be very much involved with students . .. sometimes in an open authority situation . .. sometimes in a peer sit- uation.” not so sure that there’s that much difference. There’s certainly a large group of bright, gifted, articulate kids, and I think that that's fun to have. There’s a large group of kids that are pluggers, hard workers, that are going to enter the world of work immediately after high school, and I think that makes for a good cross section of American life. Port Light: Do you intend to involve students throughout the year in differ- ent decisions? Mr. Swaab: I think so. Now, in all fairness, there are levels of decision that I'm not going to go to the stu- dents with. You know, we re not going to have kids sitting on the tables, or have people put feet on their tables. I’m not jgoing to ask for a student group to judge that. Port Light: How would you define your role in the school? Do you see yourself as an authority or more as peer? For instance, you’re going to be working with kids. Do you find your- self leaning toward that type of a role? Mr. Swaab: I don’t think of one role. I think a principal has many different roles. Certainly, he has to be very much involved with students, some- times in an open authority situation, and certainly there’s an authority role for the principal. Sometimes he is in a peer situation, where there are cir- cumstances that lead to good inter- action on an equal level. Sometimes he can be in a subordinate situation, where a student performing group or other students are doing something quite beyond the realm of the princi- pal. At that point he’s a spectator. I hope to be actively involved in pro- gram, at all levels, that is to say. de- partmental decisions, curricular deci- sions, building level decisions, etc. Port Light: Do you have any new plans to institute? Mr. Swaab: At this point, I wouldn’t say that we’re working hard on new programs. What we re looking to do is consolidate the existing program, in light of the kind of pressures that have been brought about in the com- munity on modular scheduling and in light of the fact that, in all fairness, the situation was a little loose. Port Light: Would you care to define loose? Mr. Swaab: Well, it’s a little hard to define it, but I’ll do the best I can. We're trying to consolidate some things, and our efforts really are to consolidate creatively — not to just react, but to act intelligently, to see
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how we can combine programs, come up with a curriculum that’s perhaps a little stronger, to meet the needs of the current student body in Port Washington. Now, defining loose, I’m talking about the kind of things you lived through, where kids were lying around the halls — that’s loose. Port Light: So you would say the problem is mostly a discipline thing? Mr. Swaab: I wouldn't call it dis- cipline, per se. I think the majority of the students here are basically well disciplined. But it’s more a living to- gether kind of thing, a cleanliness thing, and interacting thing. Port Light: What’s your idea of the perfect high school? Mr. Swaab: Well, in the first place I don’t believe in perfection. There’s a perfect answer to a math problem, or a perfect performance in the Olym- pics, but there’s no perfect school organization. A perfect school would meet the needs of every single kid that ever came through its portals, and that’s not really possible. You’re constantly working to meet the needs of a greater number of kids. Most schools do a good job dealing with a certain group of kids. The broader your program is, the more program offerings and options you have for the different kinds of kids that enter your school, the more you’re approaching perfection. Port Light: Do you think that modu- lar scheduling comes closer than tra- ditional scheduling to meeting those needs? Mr. Swaab: Well, I think it’s not the modular schedule that does it; it’s the program in the modular schedule that does it. Modular scheduling is only a vehicle or a means that allows you to introduce those options I was alluding to before. You can start with a fairly structured program and say that that meets the needs of 50% or 60% of the students. You could add variations to that and now begin to meet the needs of 70% of the students. A modular schedule allows you to create more flexibility, and therefore more options, which, in turn, theoretically, will allow you to meet 80% or 90% of the stu- dents’ needs. Whether you do or not, that’s not the modular schedule that The school has a respon- sibility in teaching fairness, justice, responsibility, maturity ...” counts. But what you really have to talk about is whether the program at Schreiber High School is meeting the needs of most of the students. That’s the question. Port Light: Do you think it is? Mr. Swaab: I’m not sure yet. I’m very concerned, very concerned, that it’s not. I see it meeting the needs — I don’t think there’s any question that it does an excellent job with the aca- demic student. Whether or not it does an excellent job, or a good job, or even a job, with the other groups of students, beyond the strong academic program, are questions that we’re looking at now. I say we because I’m working on that with the faculty. That’s an area of exploration for us. Port Light: Beyond a basic academic education, what kind of things do you think a school should provide its stu- dents with, and how would you prior- itize them? Mr. Swaab: Well, I couldn’t just pri- oritize them, off the top of my head; I couldn’t say one is more important than the other. The school is struc- tured for two purposes. One is to bring to people basic fundamental ed- ucation — everything from reading and writing to advanced physics, cal- culus, business courses. Now schools have begun to modify that program and say that it shouldn’t be the basic academic program, but it should also be a vocational program. Hence, you have the vocational curricula within this school, and also have the Boces program, which is really just an exten- sion of the offerings of this school. So, that’s a second area. But I think schools also have been established — the American school was always es- tablished — with the purpose of trans- mitting American values. To that end, the school has a responsibility in teaching fairness, justice, responsi- bility. maturity; the delicate balance between the individual and his right to pursue his course of action, and the obligation to the greater group, the society, and keeping in balance those two forces. In our society, that’s a constant struggle — to the group — his community, his society, the coun- try. That’s a very difficult thing to teach, but it’s an obligation for the school to fulfill. Port Light: Do you think it’s being done well? Mr. Swaab: I can’t say that. I don’t know. Port Light: I have only one more question. What advice, what words of wisdom, would you like to leave the graduating class with? Mr. Swaab: I don’t know, other than good luck. Words of wisdom? (pause) The faster you begin to understand how little we all really know, the better off you are.
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