With the enthusiasm and expectations of a new father, Randy Reid has taken the position of principal at Lake Highlands Junior High School.
“I came to Lake Highlands Junior High to take on the challenge and leadership position of a principal. I thought it was a great opportunity to work in a school where the community really cared about the school and got involved,” Reid says.
The fall semester has begun at Lake Highlands with a completely new administration. Along with Reid, two assistant principals were hired: Bob DeVoll and Lorraine Burrell, both coming from teaching positions.
Reid earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Baylor University and a master’s degree in education administration from East Texas State University. For the past one and a half years, Reid was assistant principal at Richardson High School, where he was the junior unit principal one year and dean of instruction one year.
Reid was assistant principal at Westwood for two years; a teacher and coach at Pierce High School for five years; and a teacher at Liberty Junior High for four years.
“I have worked in all four quadrants of the district and have done all the jobs that an assistant principal does. I felt that I was ready to move into the position of head principal,” Reid says.
Two areas Reid has identified as immediate concerns are discipline and communication.
“Discipline has been a major focus for the entire district (the RISD Alternative School opened this year for students who have been unable to succeed in a normal school setting).
“In the past at Lake Highlands, there has been two co-principals. Because the students saw a different principal every other month, the consistency wasn’t always what it should be. Hopefully this year, by always seeing one person, the discipline will be consistent. I believe that I am a strict, but fair disciplinarian.
“We want to keep an open line of communication between parents and the school and students and staff,” Reid says.
A long-range goal for Reid is to better integrate the different racial groups attending the school.
“We want the transit population to get involved. It will hopefully bring them stability and give them a sense of ownership in the school. It is my goal to have the school working as one cohesive unit,” Reid says.
The school year has started with a few changes that have been implemented by the new administration.
“We have eliminated kids carrying book bags to class,” Reid says. “They can bring them to school, but they must leave them in their locker until the end of the day.”
“This way, it is harder for students to bring weapons into class, their bags cannot be stolen, and the bags will not take up so much space in the classroom.”
Among Reid’s other comments:
- “I want the administration and faculty to be more visible around the school. A lot of problems would not occur if a faculty member would have been there.”
- “We have purchased more hand-held radios to place in areas of low communication, to help in instances such as a fight.”
- “We have gone to a demerit system instead of a detention system. The students will have the power and ability to control their own destiny. They will have the burden and responsibility for their own actions. There will also be a program to reduce demerits, but the student will have to initiate that on their own.”
