The WW-P school district continues to increase, change, and move around its administrative staff this summer, so don’t be surprised to see a new principal, assistant principal, or both, at your child’s school.
This is particularly true at the middle schools. For instance, Shauna Carter, one of the assistant principals at Community Middle School, has been promoted to principal at CMS, and long-time Spanish teacher Guyler Tulp will replace Carter as assistant principal. Grover Middle School also has a new principal, Brian Harris (WW-P News, May 24), and is looking for a new assistant principal, because Carla Royster, one of the two current assistant principals, has been transferred to High School South. She is replacing Robert Banks, who announced his retirement unexpectedly at the July 23 Board of Education meeting.
Carter, who has been the assistant principal at CMS for the past three years, is thrilled with her new position, which began on July 1. “I am excited to be the principal at CMS, which feels like home to me. I am excited to be working with our new administration as well. Of course I am a little anxious, too, but I am an optimist and think this journey I am starting will be wonderful.”
“The fact that the school is called ‘Community’ really says it all — the teachers really help each other out, and help out the administration, and everyone is very supportive of each other. And the students here are very willing and eager to learn. I have worked in other school districts, and believe me, that doesn’t happen everywhere. They are full of positive energy, which is why I love it here. And our parents are great. Catherine Foley, the outgoing president of the PTSA, was phenomenal. And I have already begun working with Sandra Faivre, the new president, and she is wonderful, too.”
She adds, “My administrative team is phenomenal. I have been working with Barbara Soares, the other assistant principal, for the past two-and-a-half years, and we are a great team. We are always on the same wavelength, and are always thinking the same things. And we already find that is happening with Guy [Guyler Tulp] as well. Guy has been teaching Spanish at CMS for the past 10 years and really knows the school. He is the voice of history here and has strong relationships with everyone. He knows what has and has not worked over the years.”
“I believe in collaborative leadership, and we will all be learning from each other. They will both be involved in the decision-making, which is important to help build quality leaders. I am a life-long learner, and am eager to learn from my teammates.”
Carter indicated that she would not be making major changes in her first year. “We don’t have to build relationships because they are already in place. We just need to build upon them, and help them grow. That is important because we do face some new challenges.” According to Carter, the biggest new challenge she will face is the change in the teacher evaluation model, which was mandated by the state earlier this year. “Some parts of the evaluation are under our control, and some parts are not — they are dictated by the state. There are some legitimate fears about the new evaluations, especially because they are new. But because we have such strong relationships with our staff already in place, we will be able to work through this challenge together.”
Another challenge she faces is how to handle technology as a learning tool, especially in light of the district technology plan, under which several fifth grade students will receive Google chrome books. “We do have a plan here at CMS as well, to make sure that the students here currently will keep up with technology as well. I am working with the teachers to reintroduce Google docs and the use of social media as teaching tools. I have also met with our professional development committee to find ways to prepare teachers to prepare the students. Our curriculum for this year’s incoming sixth graders will be technology-based, and teachers will be encouraged to try to share different ideas. Our students will be grounded in technology during their time at CMS.”
Carter, who just completed her PhD in educational leadership management and policy at Seton Hall University this year, has committed herself to a career in education. But that was not always the case. “When I first started at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., as an undergraduate, I was going to be a forensic scientist and analyst for the FBI. I was not planning on becoming a teacher. Although my father was a math teacher in Guyana, where he is from, he worked as a bookkeeper here in the United States, and my mother worked at the Federal Reserve Bank. Even my older sister works in the business world. We were a finance family.
“But while at GW I became involved in a reading tutorial program in southeast DC, through the Americore Program. I was the coordinator for the program, so I even hired my friends to be tutors. And I loved it. So I decided to go into education. At first my parents were in shock. My father said ‘I paid all that money for your college for you to become a teacher?’ Then they realized it was what I really wanted to do, and they were very supportive of my decision.”
Carter earned her undergraduate degree from GW with an English major and a psychology minor. She then earned a master’s degree from the English Education Teacher’s College at Columbia University, and a second master’s degree in education administration from Rider.
A New Jersey native who grew up in Piscataway and now lives in South Brunswick, Carter taught English courses for three years at North Brunswick High School, where she also co-advised the literary magazine, and then served as the assistant principal at the Matawan-Aberdeen Middle School for three years. She then applied for the assistant principal position at CMS.
“I came to West Windsor-Plainsboro because it had everything. I was looking for a positive closer to home, a diverse community and a high-performing district where I could enhance and challenge good teachers. When I was called for the interview, I was very happy. Then I walked into the room and saw David Aderhold [then deputy superintendent] and I was even happier. I had known David as a teacher in North Brunswick, and he was one of the people who encouraged me to make the jump from teacher to administrator. As a teacher, I always wanted to know why certain decisions were being made, and so I realized I had to be at the decision-making table to find out.”
Before being selected as the principal for CMS, Carter had been interviewed for the principal’s job at Grover but was not selected. “Of course I was disappointed at the time, but I believe everything happens for a reason. I was meant to be the principal at CMS, and going through the interview process at Grover made me a stronger candidate, and, ultimately, will make me a better principal. This is the right place for me.”
