Roger Schrock Starts Off School Year as New Superintendent
By Leslie Rott

As the school year approaches, Dr. Roger Schrock, who began his duties as superintendent of Mackinac Island Public School August 1, prepares to start the year with programs to get the community involved in the affairs of the school. Getting to know all of the students and teachers is also a top priority, and he hopes to do this with daily classroom visits. Among his other goals are to allow each child to develop skills and interests and to be a good manager of the financial resources provided to the school by the community.

He hopes to create a monthly "coffee with the superintendent" program, where members of the community can meet with him to discuss school and community issues.

Dr. Schrock said his past implementation of such a program has led to many positive conversations and allows people to express themselves in an informal, friendly environment.

A lot of people are hesitant to attend board meetings, he said, and this informal setting allows people the freedom to express themselves more comfortably. Such a program also encourages residents to be involved other than at athletic events.

A grandparents reading day and mentor program are other ideas he has for getting the community involved in the school on a daily basis.

Dr. Schrock noted that it costs $3 for an adult to have lunch at the school with the students, which would be another positive way to get people involved.

The school board, he said, has been positive about his plan to bring teachers and students to school board meetings for presentations on school programs. He hopes this will advance board understanding

of school operations and bring more community members to meetings.

School board projects, he said, include teacher contract negotiations and replacing history teacher Jessica Clark, who resigned in July.

School begins Tuesday, September 5, with a half-day of orientation and a community barbecue at 12 p.m.