Posted: 8/24/04
Respect, good service, flexibility all part of new principalís philosophy
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
Ron Helmersí journey to becoming the new Caledonia High School principal has taken a few twists and turns.
And Helmers, 59, thinks thatís a good thing for students to keep in mind.
Being flexible and ready for change is part of his educational philosophy. He shared that and many other things, like the importance of providing good service and being respectful, in an interview with The Argus on August 17.
Helmers, who was hired this summer to replace Cory Klabunde, has an interesting job history. It began with him teaching science and physical education at Sumner Public Schools in Sumner, Iowa, for nine years. He also coached football, wrestling, track, and baseball there.
He grew up with a plumbing and heating background, and did that in the summer when he was teaching at Sumner. Helmers was so busy with it that in 1976 that he decided to quit teaching and start a plumbing and heating business.
New construction stopped in 1980, and his job became more service oriented. He kept at it for about four more years. Helmers was on the Northeast Iowa Technical Institute board of directors at the time, and they needed a substitute teacher, so he did that for a couple of years until he was laid off.
Then he was hired to do human resource work there. He worked closely with the collegeís president
and local school superintendents a lot. He liked the kind of work that administrators did.
Helmers missed contact with students. Becoming a principal seemed the right choice. So he took classes in administration at Winona State University, and has worked as a principal for the past 15 years. First he was principal at Wykoff High School, (now part of Kingsland), then at United South Central in Wells, and for the past 11 years at Winona.
Helmers was named Southeastern Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principalsí ìPrincipal of the Yearî for 2004, but that didnít prevent him from being laid off from the Winona School District earlier this year when that district eliminated a principal as part of budget cuts. Helmers had the least seniority.
His diverse job background leads to a lesson that he tells kids. ìThe world is such and the economy is such that we need to continually look at whatís going on around us, what weíre going to need and not worry so much about specializing in something, but to get an adequate background so that you can continue your education and know what you need to be active in that job market,î he said. ìItís continuing education. We donít stop learning.î
Thatís one reason why he wants to see the school-to-work program at the school do well, so that students can use their skills to make good choices.
ìLife is a transition. All of us transition in our lives,î Helmers said.
Helmers feels that high school is a good time to make transitions, because students have the security of home and structure at school. ìSo the safety net is there but we give them a little more leeway in making their choices. From a ninth grader to a twelfth grader, I expect kids to take on more of their own responsibility for decision making, and weíre there to guide them,î he said.
Here are some other main points of the interview with Helmers.
Argus: What are your first impressions of Caledonia?
Helmers: The people here are showing that they do care about education, they do support it. They have some expectations. We need to do our job every day, academically, financially. We need to run it right. Iím getting a feel for that more and more. Despite some obstacles, Caledonia has come through some difficult times financially as a school district.
The people here have been very gracious. I couldnít say enough good things about the way Iíve been treated. I feel like they want me to be successful here. Iíve always looked at towns and schools like Caledonia as the optimum size for education, because theyíre small enough where everybody kind of knows everybody and everybody kind of takes care of everybody, small enough that you get to know kids and families and business owners, and I think thatís really important. They stay connected to the school. In some ways it makes our job easier. In some ways it makes our job harder.
How did it make your job harder?
Everybodyís watching you all the time, and everybody knows everybody. Thereís no down time, thereís no slack time, thereís no ìI donít know who you are or whatís your name.î People are observant. In larger town, kids will walk out of your school and go downtown and theyíre on the street and nobody knows and nobody cares. In Caledonia, these kids are on the street and people will say, ìArenít you supposed to be in school?î So it makes it hard on kids but good for them. And it helps us. Everybody has a personal interest.
What are some of the challenges that you see here?
First of all, we have to run this school in a manner that we can sustain it financially. We need to do a good job so that we can offer the curriculum and things that are necessary for our kids and yet be financially stable. Curriculum-wise, that gets increasingly tough to do in declining enrollment, if you donít have enough teachers to teach the classes and the schedule is compacted so you donít have quite as many choices.
I look at schools as an educational service organization. I was in a service business. Iím used to being in a service organization. We need to meet the needs of the kids, we need to meet the needs of the parents, of the community. We need to do so in a manner that they understand that we appreciate what theyíve given us. We need to be as accommodating as possible to them. We need to be highly respectful. I operate on a high level of respect. I want people to know that weíre going to do everything we can to please them, to treat them well. I donít want to have a parent walking out of here mad or upset about the way theyíve been treated. When kids graduate from Caledonia High School, I want them happy to have been successful, but sad to leave. It takes all of the staff, itís not just me. Every staff member in this system needs to treat people well, students, parents, each other, community members, business members.
What are some of your goals for this year?
I really feel I need to get to know the students, the teachers, the parents. Until I get to know them, and know what their needs are, we donít have a deep enough relationship. Thatís a big part of this year. The service piece to this is big: friendliness and respect.
I want kids to understand the importance of attendance. They need to be in class every day, and they need to be on time. They need to try, they need to do their best, and take the academics seriously. And I want the staff to be able to tell them why theyíre teaching this stuff, why do they need to learn this. The relevance of the curriculum is a point that I really want the staff to get across to the students.
Another one of my goals is a communication goal. I want people to be respectful, open, honest, up front. I want us to talk to each other, and I want people to feel free to come in with ideas. We need to work together.
What do you like about the job of high school principal?
The kids. I love to work with the kids. I think thatís what I do best, I work with kids and families best. Itís great to see the kids finally get it, to see them succeed, to see them set some goals and make it or deal with them when they donít make it.
What are the difficult parts of the job?
Is this work? [Laughter.] Whatís the hard part? Itís all hard. Dealing with the many diverse issues, the diverse students and diverse staff, and the many personalities. I deal with board members, other administrators, students, staff members, and parents. Itís a diverse group to work with, trying to get everyone headed in the same direction.
You have to be adept at all kinds of things. Youíre dealing with staff development issues, curriculum issues, discipline issues, athletic issues and activity issues. Itís not for everybody.
What do you do to help you keep organized?
I donít know if Iím ever really on top of it. I get some help from a secretary. Usually secretaries are really good. You have to delegate some of the duties. I canít do it all. And we need to work as a partnership administratively and share our expertise. I write a lot of stuff down.
Any other comments?
This is a great part of the state. And Iím interested in this job. I like small towns. Itís a more complete job, because I get more involved with kids and families, and thatís the part that I like.
Caledonia Argus
314 West Lincoln St.
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Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com