The Dexter Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
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Kuzon: DHS principal is a 'friend' of students
PUBLISHED: May 3, 2007
The following is a column written by Dexter High School senior Robert Kuzon. Kuzon, also the editor of the school newspaper, "The Squall," wrote the column as a letter to DHS Principal William "Kit" Moran.
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Dear Mr. William "Kit" Sutherford Moran IV:
I would like to take this opportunity to commend you.
You have taken this school, found a vein, and injected a syringe full of spirit and pride back into its metaphorical arm. This is something that principals of the past have failed to do.
Principals of the past have come in and immediately tried to inflict fear into the students by instituting harsh new rules and stricter punishments, seeming to make problems where there were none. You, on the other hand, connect with the students on a more personal level, gaining respect through friendship rather than fear.
Sure, this year has had the occasional mishap, a fire extinguisher off the third floor in the stairwell or a food fight here or there, but I am yet to see a student walking around with a "free (xxxxx)" tee-shirt on.
Although it may seem irrelevant to most, this is a profound improvement from my previous three years. I have seen "Free Mr. Beck," "Free Spencer," "Free Shane" and even "Free Myspace" shirts in my day. All of which were futile attempts to bring down what the student body felt was a communist-like suppression being reigned down on them by past principals.
Not this year.
I am yet to see a student rise against our current administration, and for good reason. This is because of a couple of things.
One, you and your sidekicks Mr. Tim Authier and Mrs. Mollie Sharrar (and her amazingly perfect hair) have found that elusive middle ground between friendship and supervising authoritator. Constantly being seen around school and interacting with students personally is something that not one of your predecessors did or attempted for that matter. It is easier for students to respect somebody that they respect as a person, rather then fear as a dictator.
Secondly, when disciplinary action is needed it is done right, not exaggerated to make a point. It's done by the book. There is no doubt or confusion about what will happen or what the penalty is because everything is written in the little yellow book. For the last few years administrations have made punishments far harsher then ever expected, causing uproars and riots amongst the students.
For example, a student was suspended for 10 days for an article in The Squall depicting flaws in the school's grading system. The Squall is an open forum publication so the student had the right to write the article, but administrators were left speechless when the student was pictured logged into a teacher's private MacSchool account.
Then principal Pat Little suspended the student for 10 days even though he had changed nothing, only proved a point.
Lastly it's the teamwork. You, Authier and Sharrar make a great team. The chemistry is great between the three of you. Students can feel more relaxed in the school knowing that all school matters are under control and students are being treated fairly.
So for this Mr. Moran, I salute you. I had lost hope in administrators who cared for students, but you have pulled me right back and turned me into a believer. You have restored glory to Dexter High School, you have thwarted those who look to oppress our generation, and most importantly, you have restored our spirit. You have given back to us what we had lost and taken for gone. So thank you, but there is still one more stereotype you have to overcome. Can you withstand the test of time? Will you leave after only one year in office? I hope not.
For the good of the students who will come up after me, I hope not.
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