Delaware man hired<br>as new school principal

Creating and maintaining a rewarding connection to Grand Canyon's children was stressed during the interview process as the No. 1 priority by incoming principal Robert Kelso. Applying for the small-school job out West, longtime Delaware resident Kelso will join the local school in mid-July.

"It is not the primary function of a school to provide anyone with a job. Schools do not exist to make newspapers, administrators or even teachers happy," Kelso wrote in a vision statement. "Schools exist to improve the skills and lives of its community's children."

The Grand Canyon School Board unanimously approved a one-year contract for Kelso during a special meeting on Monday. Kelso's start date was supposed to be July 1, but it's believed he will likely not arrive on campus until around July 10.

"He's got a wide range of expertise with teaching experience on several levels and administrative experience on the junior high and elementary level," said Tom Pittenger, school board member who served on the principal selection committee.

Kelso, of Millsboro, Del., will be leaving his job as principal at Long Neck Elementary in the Indian River School District, a position he's held since August 2000. In addition, he has also worked as an adjunct instructor at Wilmington College since 1992.

After obtaining a bachelor of science degree in 1976 from Penn State University, Kelso worked as a special education teacher for six years. In 1982, he took a job as a case manager with the State of Delaware Division of Mental Retardation. He returned to the classroom as a special ed teacher from 1987 to 1990 before getting into administration.

For the next decade, Kelso worked as an assistant principal at the elementary school level. He was then promoted to principal at Long Neck Elementary prior to the 2000-01 school year.

"I'm very pleased he's accepted the position and look forward to working with him," said Chuck Wahler, school board president.

Besides Pittenger, others serving on the principal selection committee included school counselor Becky Crumbo, teacher Patricia Liff, administrative assistant Stacey Davenport, village resident Dan Tobin, Tusayan resident Clarinda Vail, school board member Tammie Harris and incoming superintendent Sheila Breen.

The school board discussed the committee's recommendation in executive session for about 30 minutes Monday night before coming out into open session for the vote.

Kelso beat out 45 other applicants for the principal job. He replaces Richard Dodson, who served in that position for two years.

"We liked the fact that he's enthusiastic about coming out here," Pittenger said of Kelso, who will be moving cross country. "He made a visit in the spring and then applied when the announcement came out. He's very enthusiastic about coming up to this community."

There was also a little reference to Odyssey of the Mind that came out during the interview process.

"We liked some of the things he put down (on his resume)," Pittenger said. "He's interested in Odyssey of the Mind and that was a star on his report."

Kelso served as an OM judge and coach in 1997-98 at Long Neck. Grand Canyon has sent four OM teams to the World Finals in the past three years.

With the hiring, Grand Canyon's new administration team is now in place. Breen was hired several weeks ago and is set to arrive on campus July 1.

Pittenger said the selection committee did not have any problems hiring someone from so far away.

"We interviewed a number of people both from nearby and from far away," he said. "He's one of the ones who came out on top. I think he will compliment Sheila very well."

Interestingly, both Breen and Kelso have strong backgrounds in special education. Grand Canyon School has been criticized in recent years for its special education program, even prompting one parent to ask for an investigation from the State Department of Education.

In the vision statement he included with his application package, Kelso wrote about teamwork.

"Effective teamwork among parents, teachers and others provides the best opportunity for students to be successful," Kelso said. "Though small, a school can often serve as a focal point for its community. As an administrator of a small school, insuring strong communication with the students' families and developing partnerships with community organizations would be a primary responsibility."

In other news from the June 16 special board meeting:

o The board approved 4-0 (Bess Foster absent) the hiring of Deborah Krieger as career and technical education teacher. Krieger, who will come to Grand Canyon from Redding, Calif., replaces Debra Sayble.

o The board approved 4-0 the first reading of the district's policy manual. The board reviews the manual every five to seven years to ensure it corresponds with state statutes. The review includes major wording changes to particular sections, such as the new No Child Left Behind law. The current policy manual and proposed policy manual are both available for public review in the district office.

o The board approved 4-0 a general statement of assurance for 2003-04. The action allows incoming superintendent Sheila Breen and business manager Bonnie Haven to access the Department of Education Web site to complete various tasks, such as those involving grants. Previously, only former superintendent Ray Vernon's name was on it.

o The board approved 4-0 a job description for a part-time, certified English Language Learners coach. The board voted 4-0 to allow the district to recruit an ELL coach.