Meet Kathy White: Interim Dean of Faculty

Kathy White is a has been with Souhegan High School for quite some time and will now help guide efforts towards improving the school community throughout the year.

White is tnow he high school’s interim co-dean of faculty after the departure of Colleen Meaney in spring. She is joining fellow dean of faculty Gigi Klipa in working with teachers, students and other members of the school community.

She has been teaching business, marketing and technology at the high school for twenty years, and will serve her teaching position for a few more weeks before a replacement is found this semester.

Amherst Patch asked Kathy White about her new position and the role she will play in the high school.

Patch: What are you looking to accomplish as the interim dean of faculty?

Kathy: I am very honored to be able to do this for this year, and want to focus on the education of our students. Since this is a temporary position for this year, I am looking at the year and what I can do during that time. Some of my major responsibilities involve supervision and evaluation, as well as working with teachers. I support teachers in their work and get feedback from both parents and students. My job is to see their education through the lens of curriculum and instruction.

Patch: What can we expect this year?

Kathy: We are really focused on connecting faculty and have some pilots going on to make that happen for them. We are working on developing course learning management systems and using technology to enhance communication. While we are still looking at what our social media policies will look like in the future, we are taking a look at how newer tools can be best utilized in the classroom. We have faculty on Twitter for both education and athletics, and have begun exploring the use of Facebook to reach out.

Patch: What are your goals while in this position?

Kathy: Right now we are looking at where we are, and where we want to go. We really strive for a shared leadership model here. It is not just me or anybody else, we have such a wonderful set of experienced staff that have skills and talents we want to tap into.

Patch: How has your business experience helping you in this new role?

Kathy: I started in business before moving to education, where I did a lot of project management. I think my role is to support the work that faculty needs to do which translates directly to the classroom. I find that teaching is similar to managing, and knowing how to manage will work well in this new role. I am always impressed at how eager students are to learn. I look to find out where they are at and where they want to go before coaching them in a direction. My role as a dean of faculty should be in that same model.

Patch: How do you feel about the Souhegan High School community?

Kathy: I am very committed to working here and just love being here. The students soak up so much, they already know much more than I expect whenever I go into the classroom. This is one of the best places to be in terms of education. There is a commitment from faculty, parents, students and all of the groups that make this community.