A Conversation with Mr. Johnson: The Principal Leadership Council

Here at Kenmore West, Principal Mr. Johnson leads monthly meetings with a group of students called the Principal Leadership Council (PLC). I have personally served on this council for the past four years, and through conversations with others, we realized that many individuals throughout the school community are unaware of the PLC. I figured that an interview with Mr. Johnson would be a great opportunity to sit down with him and help explain to the Kenmore West Community what the PLC is. This is the conversation that I had with Mr. Johnson surrounding the PLC and what he feels are the key takeaways from it. 

(The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.)

DiGiulio: Thank you so much for agreeing to meet and take time out of your busy schedule to discuss the PLC with our readers. As someone who is serving their 4th year on the PLC, I feel it is important to spread the word about the PLC and what we do.

Johnson: Thank you so much for interviewing me and allowing me to share my thoughts on the PLC.

DiGiulio: Can you give me a brief overview of what the PLC is? How would you describe the PLC?

Johnson: Sure, the Principal Leadership Council is a group that is designed to first and foremost represent and get feedback from students about how things are going at Kenmore West. We look at what is going well, as well as things we can improve on. The PLC is made up of student leaders from all the grade levels at Kenmore West.  These students were selected to represent different perspectives, ideas, and experiences from all grades and students. The PLC allows us to get feedback from students as well as share things that are happening in the school that we want students to know about. So, for example, in addition to getting feedback, we take note of what students are saying, and then use that information to guide our school improvement process. It is also important to note that the Principal Leadership Council interfaces with our District Leadership Council, our student Board of Education representatives, the Board of Education, and our Superintendent of Schools. 

DiGiulio: That's exactly what I'd also say, but I just wanted to hear your thoughts. I was wondering how does one get selected to be on the Council? I know that it was selected, not elected. Is it selected by you? By counselors? Teachers? Is it like a hybrid of all of them?

Johnson:  There are a combination of factors that we look at when selecting PLC representatives. We look for recommendations from our administrative team, our counselors, and faculty and staff. We want students who will represent all students at Kenmore West. We also want students who are looking for a leadership experience and who will feel comfortable talking in a group and sharing their ideas. Lastly, we want representatives who are respectful, responsible, and will represent our school well.

DiGiulio: How would you describe the meetings? I know I personally think of them as like an open forum where we can share our thoughts. To me, it is an open space where we are all able to share out and you listen to our input. Do you feel the same way?

Johnson: This is something that I think has evolved and I feel it is still evolving. There has to be an openness to our meetings that allows students to speak and feel comfortable sharing their ideas and perspectives.  We always have a meeting agenda that provides structure to the direction and focus of our discussion. 

DiGiulio: Yeah, I feel that same way. I know you said the PLC was a district initiative although you did have previous iterations you made. How did this version of the PLC get started and when did it start?

Johnson: I would say right around the time that Superintendent Cimato began in Ken-Ton. We had a PLC at one point but this was something that we brought back to life. I think Superintendent Cimato really connected this concept to a greater leadership view, in terms of the school student representatives, Board of Education Student Representatives, the Board of Education, and the District Leadership Team.

DiGiulio:  How would you say the PLC has developed over the years? I know personally I have seen many changes since my first year on the council.

Johnson: It really has evolved over time. I think some of our earlier meetings during the pandemic were on Chromebooks. This was our starting phase. It has evolved since to being in person, being formal meetings, shifting into circles, and this year being a hybrid concept of a circle and meeting. The format has to be comfortable for the group and support open communication.  

DiGiulio: I know from the four years that I've been on it, it's certainly changed and developed a lot. I feel like it's more open, with more conversation and community between the members. I think that's good.

Johnson: Yeah. I think we have a great group. We're trying to meet more frequently without over-committing our students.

DiGiulio: What is something, if anything you would change to the current PLC? Something you'd like to improve on?

Johnson: I think where we sometimes struggle with committees, is that they are isolated too much from one another. We have a PLC, a Shared Decision-making Team, a Department Leadership Team, a Foundations Team, and a Student Council. One of the things we have been trying to improve is keeping the focus of our work on the school improvement process.  The school improvement process is focused on the continual improvement of our school and involves instruction and learning, school culture, attendance, and graduation. We have been trying to work on making the improvement plan a focal point for all of these teams. So we get different perspectives from them. These teams are not necessarily communicating with one another, but there is a common focus for our meetings and work.

DiGiulio: Yeah, I think that continuity between committees is a good thing for us to have. Looking forward to the next five years, what do you hope to see with the PLC?

Johnson: I'd like to see it build, you know, for our students to also feel that they can come with topics, they can come approach me with things that are going on. I really feel it's a team that can help further continual school improvement. The PLC directly represents the students at Kenmore West, our most important constituents.

DiGiulio: I know that along with other members, I certainly feel that your door is always open to hear our thoughts and opinions, good or bad. Is there anything else you'd like students to know?

Johnson: I encourage students who might be interested to talk to people on the Council, talk to me, email me, when there are opportunities. These opportunities usually come around towards the end of the school year. We are looking for members to participate and sometimes, like yourself Dominic, people stay with it over the years or for some students maybe do it for a year or two. If this is something that you have an interest in, I encourage you to explore it and stay tuned for opportunities coming up at the end of the school year.

DiGiulio: Thank you again so much for taking the time to meet with me and to share your thoughts. I hope we will be able to continue to incorporate you into future issues of the Blue Devil Beat.

In conclusion, the PLC is more than just a group, it’s a way to connect students, staff, and district leadership to create change at Kenmore West. If you’re interested in becoming part of this council, keep an eye out for opportunities later this school year. As Mr. Johnson said, the PLC thrives on the ideas of its members, and it’s a space where every voice matters. We can’t wait to see the new faces who join us next year on this journey!