Speaker 1 0:07

Welcome to the Bubble Lounge. I'm Martha Jackson, and school starts next week. There's a lot of new faces, including a new principal at Highland Park High School. Dr Kevin Hunt is a longtime educator and the former principal of Highland Park Middle School. He's going to share advice for families, especially to those that are new to the school, just like he is, so stay tuned. Thank you for being here, dr Hunt.

Speaker 2 0:46

Well, I'm excited to be here. Thanks for having me.

Speaker 1 0:49

Well, so you have had quite the background as far as your career has gone. Tell us what inspired you to get into education and what brought you to being a principal.

Speaker 2 0:58

Sure. So I started substitute teaching when I finished college. I had originally planned to go to medical school. My background is in biology and chemistry and I also got an English minor. So I was accepted to medical school in schools in Tennessee where I'm from. But I was living in Texas and wanted to stay here. So the goal was to establish residency and reapply in Texas and I started teaching and I realized pretty quick that that's what I was put on this planet to do was to be an educator. And so I taught middle school and high school, mostly English, some science, for many years, and throughout that process I had mentors and folks who would encourage me and give me opportunities for leadership positions. And so I ended up becoming an assistant principal and did that for three years, and then I was an assistant principal at a middle school and intermediate school and then I was an elementary principal for six years.

Speaker 1 2:02

Oh, wow, okay.

Speaker 2 2:03

And then middle school principal for two years. So this coming year will be my ninth year as a principal and my first opportunity to be the principal at a high school. I do have some assistant principal experience at a high school level, but it's been a while and I'm really excited.

Speaker 1 2:17

Wow, you have just covered all the bases right there.

Speaker 2 2:21

I have. It's exciting to have experience. You know pre-K all the way through 12. It's exciting to have experience you know pre-K all the way through 12. It's really. You know, I don't necessarily prefer one place or the other. I really have enjoyed every single school level that I've worked in. I think it's just the best profession in the world.

Speaker 1 2:37

Well, you've spent the past couple of years at Highland Park Middle School and now you are going to serve as the principal of the high school. How do you feel about that transition?

Speaker 2 2:48

Yeah, I'm really excited. You know I was. It was a very unexpected opportunity to come to Highland Park and I was grateful to receive the call. And I was very grateful to have an opportunity at the middle school and I enjoyed the two years there and I was really excited about the coming years. I was 100% committed to Highland Park. When I was asked to come up to the high school, I was very excited and I remain committed to the district and serving in whatever capacity I'm needed and in this case, at the high school. It's very exciting. You know it's the best high school in Texas and arguably one of the best high schools in the country. So the opportunity to work and be a part of that school and this organization in general is just a real privilege.

Speaker 1 3:35

Yeah well, we are honored to have you there, can't wait. So your predecessor was kind of known for one thing his sneakers. Is there anything that defines you that we need to know about?

Speaker 2 3:46

Well, so interesting story. I, when I was in my previous district, I also wore tennis shoes, vans and things like that, and I never wore dress shoes. But when I came to Highland Park I was like wow, I guess I better dress up a little bit. And so I were. I was wearing dress shoes every day. And I met Jeremy Gilbert at a meeting one day and realized he was wearing tennis shoes and I said to him hey, at what point do I get to?

Speaker 2 4:10

wear tennis shoes, because that's kind of a great thing. And he's like now starting now.

Speaker 1 4:15

Oh, I love it.

Speaker 2 4:16

Actually, I ordered and I designed a pair of shoes that I'll wear at the beginning of the year this year and they're really cool and I'm excited. They just came in the mail a couple days ago Now. Beyond that, I mean I would say that I don't necessarily want to be known for the shoes, but I think one of the things that I'm really interested in is making sure that you know every student, across every program and every grade and every subject, is experiencing, you know, a high level of excellence at the school, so I'm really interested in continuing that tradition. So, really, if you ask me what's my thing? I'm really. I'm really.

Speaker 2 5:00

My thing is being an educator. I really enjoy instructional leadership and I enjoy having conversations with teachers about um pedagogy and instruction. I know it's probably not as exciting as, but I'm also really excited about um, all of the programs at the high school, the athletics, extracurricular and fine arts uh, just really everything. There's so many, there are so many things and I my Just really everything. There are so many things and my goal is to be at as many things as I possibly can and really enjoy all of those things this first year and moving forward.

Speaker 1 5:34

Yeah, I am just always blown away about the amount of things that we have going on at the schools. I mean, there's just no shortage of clubs and activities. There's always something to do.

Speaker 2 5:44

Even right now, in the middle of the summer, there's people in the building and band things going on and it's like the city that never sleeps.

Speaker 1 5:51

You are so right. I was up there yesterday for a meeting and there was buses and band playing and there was just a lot going on Right.

Speaker 2 5:58

So we decided to help out a drumline band that got displaced in Houston because of the hurricane. They reached out to our band directors and to me last week. We were more than happy to have them in our building so that they could continue their summer experience. The school where they were down around Houston lost power and still has not regained power. They made the trip up here and we were really happy to have them. We didn't know there were going to be quite that many kids and adults, but we are absolutely thrilled that we were able to help them out.

Speaker 1 6:34

Oh, I'm so glad you told me, because I noticed on the bus there was a different school's name that I didn't recognize and I was really wondering what was going on there.

Speaker 2 6:42

Yeah, I've been around and met some of the kids and some of the adults and they're great and they are taking good care and they've been very good guests and they are getting to continue their band experience, which you know, and they're incredibly talented. This is like one of the elite. You know drumline, you know bands in the nation.

Speaker 1 7:04

Yeah, that is so great. I love that we did that for them. I wanted to give a personal thank you to our good friend and show sponsor, kathy Elwall State Farm Agency. We have known Kathy for more than 15 years and there is no person we trust more when it comes to insurance than Kathy Elwall. Kathy is always available to help you find the right insurance for your family needs, whether it's covering your home auto or providing a life insurance policy tailored to the unique needs of families in Highland Park. My family trusts Kathy with our insurance and we hope you will too. Please visit kathylwallcom to learn more and let her know that Martha from the Bubble Lounge sent you. So we're trying to get to know a little bit more about you, and I understand that you have two kids. One has graduated college, one has graduated from high school.

Speaker 2 7:49

That is correct. So my daughter, Abigail, she's 22. She just graduated from Texas Wesleyan. This past spring she was a theater major. She got a full scholarship to college and was part of the theater program. Really proud of her. She did really well. She graduated from Paschal High School in Fort Worth. I'm from Fort.

Speaker 1 8:09

Worth.

Speaker 2 8:10

Yeah, and so she wanted to pursue her. She was in theater and choir all through high school and so that's just her, that's her thing and she's very talented. So really proud pursue her. She was in theater and choir all through high school and so that's just her, that's her thing and she's very talented. So really proud of her. She has a really she has a good day job right now in Fort Worth and doing really well. She lives independently. And my son just graduated from high school. He graduated from Burleson where I've been living and it's been a tough commute but I did finally move this summer. So we are living much closer to the school now, but he's going to college next year at Sam Houston State where he has an interest in criminal justice and that's what he will hopefully pursue, moving forward.

Community Impact on School Involvement

Speaker 1 8:51

Well, congratulations, thank you. We should be very proud of that, yeah, we'll be by ourselves. As you know, Highland Park is known for its very strong sense of community. How does that impact your work?

Speaker 2 9:03

You know, I really, you know, one of the strengths, I think, of our school district, of our schools, you know, really involves the parents and families, the community, the stakeholders that are so invested, and you know there's, you know, countless ways to, you know, demonstrate that. That support, just you know, all the things that that the parents give every single day and throughout the year to help support our schools is just tremendous. I've never, you know, coming from the district where I was, I've, you know, it's just so much different, you know, and, uh, I've never been in a school or school district where, uh, folks were so supportive, you know, and so I really try to, um, be appreciative of that. You know, sometimes, you know, we don't want to take things for granted and we don't want to um, we don't want to, um, make people think that they're not welcome at the school. So we try to do everything we can to make time to hear and listen to parents and to involve.

Speaker 2 10:07

It's actually something I was thinking about this morning as I was thinking about campus improvement plans. One of the things we want to make sure that we continue to do is make families and parents and community members feel welcome, and, you know, because we kind of are the hub of the community that high school very much is, and so many people who live in the community went to high school there and graduated from high school there. Just at the graduation the other night, you know hearing how many people you know you know had their name read at that, you know, at that graduation was tremendous. So there's so much involvement. It's really, you know, a strength, I think, of our school.

Speaker 1 10:45

Yeah, that is so true. I was with a friend last night that graduated from Highland Park many years ago and I was saying just that very thing I was like. This whole community is just so centered around our kids and the schools and, you know, especially the high school.

Speaker 2 10:58

Yep.

Speaker 1 10:59

So I just thought that's one of my most favorite things about this community is just that strong sense of involvement that everybody really loves to rally and support the schools.

Speaker 2 11:08

Absolutely.

Speaker 1 11:09

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Speaker 1 12:07

Is there anything else that we can look forward to that's coming up.

Speaker 2 12:10

Yeah, we do have some new signage that's coming in like way um wayfinding in the school.

Speaker 1 12:17

Yes, that is a tricky place to navigate.

Speaker 2 12:19

It is, and I've I think I've been everywhere in the building this summer uh, down in the basement and to all, uh all the floors and classrooms, but I am finding my way around. But yes, for someone who's not familiar with the building, uh, we hope that the new wayfinding signage will alleviate some of that difficulty and we also the PTA is working on like a school beautification project, so you'll see some improvements in just around the school, where you'll see some new things that are, you know, displayed. I don't know if you've been to the Clements building, where you know you see in the glass, you know artifacts and so forth. We're putting together something like that. You know this is a project that was, you know, created last year, so you should start to see some of those things. Once we get the new signage and wayfinding things, you'll start to see some of those improvements and hopefully that'll just improve the overall atmosphere of the school.

Speaker 1 13:21

Oh good, that sounds wonderful. I look forward to seeing it all. So one of the things I like to joke about is just as far as parent involvement goes In the elementary school. I mean, there's so many opportunities, there's the library, the cafeteria and everyone is so excited to work. And then, as you kind of go down the line to middle school and high school, the opportunities aren't quite as many and they're not asking you to come around quite as much. But talk about some of those opportunities.

Speaker 2 13:47

Sure, I mean, of course, obviously the cafeteria and lunches is a great opportunity for parents to be in school and be involved. And obviously PTA and Dad's Club. Those are such important organizations and you know we kind of sometimes take for granted how much they do and they would welcome people to come help them with things. And I would also say that, you know, as students get older, you know it's important for us to make sure that we allow them independence. You know, moving from eighth to ninth to tenth grade, those are tough years, you know. And as a parent who's been through that twice and as someone who has recently worked in middle school, I know that grades seven, eight, nine, ten are very difficult and can be challenging. So I would say to to parents of you know the students coming up from the middle school, you know ninth grade can be difficult All of a sudden, now all of your grades count. You know it's GPA and you know there are so many activities and opportunities and organizations with sports and athletics and fine arts and you know kids can get overwhelmed. So I would say you know, talk to your students, stay involved If you feel like you're not receiving the help and that sort of two way communication that you that you really would like to receive from a teacher or a counselor, or you know anybody at school, a coach, you know.

Speaker 2 15:18

I would say, if you've attempted to reach out to them and you're not getting that help, I would say, reach out to me. I mean I'm happy to help in that way. I mean we want to make sure that we're responsive and that we, you know, encourage that two-way communication between you know, parents and teachers and staff. But we also want to make sure that we hold students accountable and let them, as developmentally appropriate as possible, experience independence, because when they get finished with high school they're moving on to adulthood and while a ninth grader is not a twelfth grader, we do have to make sure that we stair-step and encourage and provide a conducive environment for responsibility at school with students.

Speaker 1 16:03

Right, we were just talking about that on a recent episode. Just the importance of advocating for yourself. Once you get to the high school, they really hear that word so much.

Speaker 2 16:12

That's right.

Speaker 1 16:14

And just keeping in constant communication and making sure that your kid is not falling behind and the importance of your child communicating with both you and their teacher to make sure that they are keeping up to speed.

Speaker 2 16:26

That's right, that's a skill. You know, like we sometimes don't realize that these social skills have to be taught, just like you have to you know, explicitly teach someone how to read and write and do math. You also have to teach kids how to ask for help and how to advocate, and you know, sometimes that's hard, they're shy or they, you know, don't want to stand out or they don't want to seem as if, you know, I don't understand something and it seems like everybody else does. That's embarrassing. You know the amount of peer pressure that 14, 15, 16 year olds feel is, you know, it's so new, it doesn't go away, peer pressure.

Speaker 2 17:06

Peer pressure continues to exist into adulthood and for the rest of your life. But it's new to them, right, like it's. It's this new experience where, all of a sudden, they care more about what their friends and peers think about them, probably more than anything else, and so for a parent that can be difficult, realizing that you're no longer sort of the center of their universe. You know, like, all of a sudden now, it's their friends and activities at school that are compelling them to do things or to not do things, that are compelling them to do things or to not do things, and so you have to continue to talk to them about all of that and give them advice and make sure that they have the skills to navigate that very difficult social experience.

Speaker 1 17:45

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Speaker 1 18:32

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Building Relationships and Setting Goals

Speaker 2 18:57

Yeah, I think, for you know, it depends. It's so different from kid to kid, right and like. My daughter was so, you know, driven and motivated, and then my son, on the other hand, was quite different, and so I think you have to make sure that you consider the individual child right, like, so every person is different, so what you may do and find to be effective with one of your children, that those same things may not work, and so that can be frustrating, like I've actually felt that way, like why would, why won't you do what I need you to do? It worked great with these other kids, you know, like, but I can't be that way, like as an educator or as a parent. We have to make sure that every single student is achieving at high levels and in order to do that, you know you have to individualize your response right, and if something's not working, you can't think you know it's them. You have to think, well, what can I do right? What can I be responsible for changing to make sure that this student is successful? And I think parenting is the same way.

Speaker 2 20:01

We have to make sure that we consider the differences of our children and really, you know one of the things we can sometimes get into doing is like really focusing on the negative, and that can be. That can really strain the relationship, whether it's a teacher and a student or a parent and a child. And what we want to probably do is, you know, focus on the positive things. There are so many things that we can be proud of and that we can celebrate about our children, whether it's, you know, teachers and educators at a school or parents and a family. So we want to make sure that we really, you know, focus on those positive things and keep them moving in the right direction.

Speaker 2 20:36

Every, you know, every single kid can and will be successful, and every, you know, every single kid can and will be successful. But they're not all going to be successful and they're not all going to achieve at the same level. So when you see that maybe you're one of your children is maybe not achieving at the high levels that another child did achieve at, or that seemingly friends and peer groups are, that's okay, you know. That's okay Because every kid is different. So we don't want to make, we don't want to put unnecessary strain, you know, and stress on students. We want to have high expectations, but we also want to consider the differences in children.

Speaker 1 21:14

Okay, that was such excellent advice and good reminders for all of us, because, you're right, everyone is their own unique person and you can't compare the different kids.

Speaker 2 21:25

Yes, absolutely right.

Speaker 1 21:26

So what do we have to look forward to this year, like what are some of your goals and what's going to be happening?

Speaker 2 21:31

So, really, you know, with a school like Highland Park High School, you know it's such a high achieving school, it's such a tradition of excellence, there's not like a ton to just come in and change. You know it's such a high achieving school, it's such a tradition of excellence, there's not like a ton to just come in and change, you know. So, really, my goal this year and really whether it's I've opened schools and I've, you know, I came to the middle school a couple years ago. Really, most principals when it's your first year one, I'm not looking to change things. You know I'm looking to learn. You know I need to learn students.

Speaker 2 22:03

I already know the freshmen and sophomores and I'm excited about getting to reconnect with them and continue the journey with them. But you know I have a lot of students to learn. You know, the juniors and seniors especially, and then staff. You know I need to have good relationships with my teachers and staff in order for us to achieve our goals right. So I got to find out like what, you know, we have a mission and we have a vision and we have those you know collective commitments as a staff. But I need to find out, like, what really do they want to achieve. You know, as an organization, what is the consensus around what our targets and goals should be. I can't just come in and set targets and goals that I think are important without finding out what the staff and the students and the parents and family members deem to be important.

Speaker 2 22:55

So you know, my job as a principal is to serve students and families and parents and teachers, so it's not to necessarily direct. So leadership is really about serving and in order to do that effectively in year one, you have to build strong relationships.

Speaker 1 23:14

Right? Well, we definitely have some of the most amazing teachers and staff out there, and I've noticed that we are bringing in a lot of new ones this year. Hpisd posted on their Instagram and I shared it A lot of new faces, yes.

Speaker 2 23:27

Yeah, we're excited. Turnover is just inevitable. Folks retire, folks move on and get different careers or move, you know, change locations and while we really we set goals to try to retain and pour into and do everything we can to retain and keep our great teachers and staff members, you know there's always going to be some turnover and sometimes that's a healthy thing. You know, sometimes when you're able to bring people in. You know, this year we have a couple of new counselors coming in and we're really excited about those really good hires and they both have experience in schools that are very similar to our school. So, you know, while they do have some similar experiences, it'll also be nice to have some fresh perspectives on some things in those leadership positions.

Speaker 2 24:16

So we're really excited about the new folks that we have. We're really excited about the new folks that we have there's. You know what a great opportunity for a teacher or an educator, a counselor or a coach to get to work at Highland Park High School. It's such a tremendous opportunity. So they're excited and we're excited we are really as the teachers are coming back. We, you know, can't wait to get things going and get everybody set up and ready to start the year.

Speaker 1 24:43

Well, I am looking forward to it. Great year.

Speaker 2 24:45

Yeah, absolutely, me too. We know it's going to be a great year. It's Highland Park High School. There's no question it's going to be a great year.

Speaker 1 24:52

All right, I'm looking forward to it. Well, so how can people stay in the loop of all things? Highland Park High School.

Speaker 2 25:03

Certainly, all things Highland Park High School. Certainly, we do have a Instagram account. It's not the same one, it's a different one, but if you go to the one that Principal Gilbert had set up, he's now shifted that to the athletic department, but we are on there, so we will be posting from that Instagram. And also, you know, we have our our campus website and, uh, obviously you can connect with me easily. The best way to connect with me is email, probably, um, and you can reach out to me if you want to set up a time to to meet with me. Um, I want to be available. You know there's a lot of moving parts at a high, big high school, but one of the things I try to do is be visible and be available. I'm in the hallways, I'm in the classrooms, I'm at the events, so if you see me at a football game or at an event, feel free to come up and talk to me and introduce yourself to me. I'm really excited about getting to know as many people as I can as soon as possible.

Speaker 1 25:56

Sounds great. Well, thank you so much for being here today. This has been so much fun to get to know you.

Speaker 2 26:01

Thanks so much for having me on the Bubble Lounge podcast. It was a real pleasure to be here and go Scots.

Speaker 1 26:07

Well, that's been another episode of the Bubble Lounge. I'm Martha Jackson and I'll catch you next time.