Dr. Payne: Here to Change the Game
Natalia Bieszczad (10-4) & Hope Applegate (10-2)
Photo courtesy of Dr. Payne
As we return to in-person school, there is surely much adjusting to do. Whether these adjustments are waking up earlier, reuniting with classmates, or working on time management, we are all readapting to Masterman’s environment. This year, we welcome a new principal to our community: Dr. Payne.
Dr. Payne grew up in Northwest Philadelphia, where she attended Ivy Leaf Elementary School from first to fourth grade before coming to Masterman, where she stayed from fifth to ninth grade. In tenth grade, she transferred to Central for the remainder of high school. Following her love of biology, she attended Xavier University of Louisiana as a biology major. Xavier University, she explains, perfectly sets up its students for medical school, which she thought she wanted until her junior year. She recalls sitting in the school auditorium, listening to the exhaustive process of applying to medical school, when she thought, “I cannot commit my mental resources to this.” Upon deciding that medical school was not the right path, she contemplated her next steps.
After finishing college, Dr. Payne used her degree to start her educational career by teaching children biology. She spent five years teaching before she went back to school at the University of Pennsylvania for her Master’s and principal certification. At last, she earned her doctorate at Nova Southeastern University.
When we asked Dr. Payne what inspired her to become a principal, she thought deeply before responding, “I wasn’t inspired. [Growing up,] education had always been around. My dad was
a teacher. He was in the School District of Philadelphia for 42 years before he retired. My mother started as a social studies teacher.” In reflecting on her influences, Dr. Payne had truly never planned or even considered teaching, much less being a principal. However, once she started teaching, she knew it was the path for her.
Dr. Payne is not your average biology-loving educator that some may expect. She shares many hobbies and interests with her students, such as swimming, knitting, taste-testing ethnic foods, and more. Dr. Payne discovered her love for swimming in high school, an activity she still practices to this day and has passed on to her son. Her love of traveling extends back to Xavier University in New Orleans, which holds a special place in her heart. “I have certainly not done all the traveling that I want to yet,” she admits, reminiscing about the job offer she declined in the U.S Virgin Islands. However, she says, this regret taught her to take advantage of every opportunity.
Dr. Payne’s first experience at Masterman was not as a principal, but as a student. Coming from a smaller school, she was shocked by the number of students in each grade and the diversity of the student body. She was a shy student who tried to blend into the crowd, which she jokingly admits was “very hard to do when you’re 5’11.” One of the most important skills she learned was to speak up for herself, which she now urges Masterman high school students to learn and remember.
Now, returning to Masterman almost thirty years later, she notes many differences: “I am getting energies of high stress and anxiety from students. I am getting lots of questions from staff members who have gone without a principal for a while now. I’m getting worries from students and school from families, and school should not be tied up with that.” Dr. Payne reminds us that despite Masterman being a high-achieving school, students should not be stressed all the time. She plans to find the roots of many communication issues, as well as a return to the happy and more diverse student body that she encountered in fifth grade. “You can never make everyone happy, but I hope we can make [the school community more] happy than they are now.”
Dr. Payne is undoubtedly a devoted and exciting addition to the Masterman community. Her enthusiasm and bright smile bring new light to the Masterman hallways. By identifying the roots of many issues as well as establishing a calmer environment for our students, Dr. Payne is surely here to change the game.