Windham High School assistant principal Kelli Deveaux was
named Maine’s 2014 Assistant Principal of the Year by the Maine Principal’s
Association (MPA) at an all-school assembly on November 26th.
Deveaux said she was elated, in part because it feels
nice to be recognized, but even more because she is excited to be able to
represent assistant principals, Windham and public education on a larger scale.
Deveaux will be honored by the MPA at its annual awards
banquet in March. She will also travel with her husband to Washington D.C. in
April, where she will be recognized by the National Association of Secondary
School Principals during a three-day program. This program will include
professional development activities, networking opportunities and a black-tie
dinner and awards program.
While in DC, she will also have an opportunity to meet
with members of congress to talk about education. “Being given the opportunity
to advocate for Maine, assistant principals, and public education at a national
level is huge for me. The passions of my life really are about education and
educational policy and public interest, and I get a chance to really speak up
about it,” she said.
Deveaux earned a Bachelor’s degree at the University of
New Hampshire in 1993, and her MSEd in Educational Leadership from the
University of Southern Maine in 1995.
Deveaux began her career in education in South Portland,
as a high school English teacher. She said she loved the classroom, and still
has moments where she misses that kind of contact with students. Encouraged by
a mentor, Jeanne Crocker, who was the principal at South Portland High School, she
explored roles in administration. “She convinced me that it’s really an
opportunity to do more for kids,” said Deveaux, a statement she said she’s
found to be true.
Deveaux became an assistant principal at Windham High
School in 2002, and is in her 12th year in the role. She said that
initially she struggled with the responsibilities of being an assistant
principal, and the often negative interactions that come with the job. “A lot
of my job is about establishing rules and expectations and holding students,
and sometimes adults, to those expectations. That’s not always a positive
experience. But, I have learned to do it with my own style which includes a lot
of humor and a lot of support. I want the kids, and the adults, to know that I
care about them enough to say this is what’s acceptable and this is what isn’t.”
She added that she really appreciates the support she has
received from the administrative team in Windham. “I have found the opportunity
to not just impact students that were in my classroom, but I’m able to impact
students in a whole school,” she said.
One accomplishment that she is very proud of is starting
a clothing closet at the high school, which offers food, toiletries and
clothing to students who cannot get those needs met elsewhere.
Deveaux is also proud of a class that she co-teaches each
spring, called Girl’s Group. Girls are nominated and apply to participate, and six
girls are selected “because that’s how many fit in a minivan,” she said. The
girls nominated are those who have “yet untapped potential,” but may have barriers
to reaching that potential, said Deveaux.
The group learns to work together to support one another
and see that women can be successful and varied in what they are able to
accomplish. The final exam for the class for the past few years has been to have
the group find, train for, fundraise for and complete a 5K. “The sense of
accomplishment is huge, and that’s what I hope they take from it,” said
Deveaux.
Deveaux said one of the things she hopes to do as a
result of receiving this honor is to emphasize to communities and school
leaders the importance of the role of an assistant principal. There are
frequent conversations in education about school safety, bullying and
harassment, and often the person with primary responsibility in tending to
those issues is the assistant principal. Yet, during difficult financial times,
Deveaux said she sees school districts cutting the role in favor of a teacher
leader model. “I worry that in doing that we’re losing sight of some of the
really key initiatives and key focus of school safety, school community, school
culture and climate building,” she said.
Deveaux said that the students know her well, and
understand that even when they get into trouble, she cares about them as people.
Watching students grow and mature from freshman to graduation is an incredibly
moving experience, she said. “To be able to get the kid to graduation and say I
had a piece of that is huge. It’s a really awesome experience.”
Deveaux lives in Gorham with her husband and three young
children.
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