Forest Hills — Ask the new members of Northern High’s administrative team what their favorite sandwiches are, and the answers are as unique as the individuals.
For new Assistant Principal Richard Wiersma, it’s anything from Boardwalk Subs, while new Athletic Director Ben Sherman said he would have to go with a spicy chicken.
Current Assistant Principal Aaron Romoslawski said he too likes spicy food, but would opt for the Indian dish paneer tikka masala, while new Principal Heather McKinney-Rewa said she likes variety, opting for appetizers over sandwiches.
Diverse tastes are one example of the unique qualities each contributes to Northern High.
“I think one thing that I like about us as a team, all coming from different places, is we all come with different strengths and areas for growth, and we’ve been able to really mold as a team and find those strengths and leverage those,” said McKinney-Rewa.
But the team is united in pledging to support those who lead and contribute to STEM Academy, Project Next, and Mandarin Chinese and Spanish immersion programs, all housed at Northern High.
“The teachers are the ones going into the classroom, and it’s their time and effort that make this place so special,” McKinney-Rewa said. “I would extend that to the custodians, the front office staff and all the individuals who work together to create a supportive environment for our kids. That is what truly makes this a great place to work.”
Clearing the Pathways for Learning
McKinney-Rewa, who has been in education for 20 years — most recently as East Grand Rapids High School’s assistant principal — said she believes an administrative team’s main goal is to clear the pathways for learning by listening and learning themselves, and figuring out how to support everyone: students, teachers and other staff.
“What I hope from all of our stakeholder groups each day is that we approach it with our personal best, knowing that … we’re always striving to be our best selves, and together, we can be really great when we’re putting forth that type of effort,” she said.
Wiersma said he quickly noticed McKinney-Rewa wants others to feel comfortable, and that has trickled down to the students and helped with the transition of the school’s new administrative team.
“We’re here to educate students, and that’s a big job,” he said, “but we can also be comfortable with each other and have fun with each other.”
He Belonged in Front of Students
Wiersma started in education as an English language arts teacher and education development specialist for the U.S. Peace Corps. He eventually joined Jenison Public Schools, where he was interim principal.
Before coming to Forest Hills, Wiersma was principal at Morley Stanwood High School. He joins Romoslawksi, who has been a Northern High assistant principal for two years.
“From the very beginning, when I was thinking about what I wanted to do after I graduated from high school and then undergrad, I didn’t want to do anything other than spend time with students for eight hours a day,” Wiersma recalled. “I couldn’t imagine doing a sales job. … There’s so much rich value that comes out of spending time with students, and ever since my first day standing in front of my classroom as a student teacher, I knew I was in the right spot when I was in front of kids.”
Wiersma said no matter what position he holds, he intends to do whatever it takes to make students successful.
“Students have a way of being very honest about things, and I think something that I’ve learned from (them) is that you have to be yourself from the beginning,” he said. “The best way to influence a student is to take your own true self and figure out how to use and leverage those things to … draw the best out of students.”
Building on Northern’s Accomplishments
Sherman has been in Forest Hills for 11 years, serving at Eastern High before taking on the role as Northern High’s athletic director.
He said he’s looking forward to building on Northern’s successes, both on the field — such as its cheerleading team winning the OK White Conference three years in a row — and off, which includes Northern being in the top 20 SAT scores in the state in 2023.
To continue those successes, Sherman said he wants to empower students, understand where they are at and collaborate with them in hopes of inspiring them to their next step.
He said it’s the collaboration between all staff, teachers and coaches that helps build and continue the school’s vision of growth so students have a supportive environment to learn and achieve.
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