Starting a new chapter in her career in education, new Dean of Students Kelsey Keith just began her first year at North. She is now working with students with last names that range from Per-Z.
Originally an English teacher, Keith has a passion for helping students.
“I just love what I do. I love being in education. I have taught grades six through 12, and I love the high school environment…I like being here to help any type of student that needs guidance,” said Keith. “I think this position as dean really allows me to do that.”
Keith relates to the common challenges of navigating high school that today’s teens face, which inspired her love for education and helping students.
“Through all the obstacles [students] have to face at home, at school and all those things, for me, it was my teachers who were there for me [that helped], and I saw the impact that they made on my life,” said Keith. “That made me want to kind of give back and do the same thing.”
As a new member of the North community, Keith is impressed by the atmosphere and the enthusiasm from students and staff.
“[The North environment] is absolutely amazing. The students here are so kind and well-behaved,” said Keith. “[The staff] know their content so well, and they have a passion for working with kids. I’ve been in and out of classrooms and it’s just so nice to see everyone excited and engaged.”
Keith has many goals she hopes to accomplish this upcoming year in her position as dean.
“Right now, we are putting a heavy focus on attendance. Looking at data from past years, we’ve noticed that we have a high absentee rate, which we certainly don’t want. We want students to want to be here, not just to learn, but [to] socialize.”
This focus sparked the move for this year’s new attendance policy regarding first period tardiness. This policy considers those who are six or more minutes late to their first period class tardy and will result in an intervention assignment for students who continue to be tardy multiple times.
“Our new first period tardy practice that we’re doing [is] just to encourage [students] to be here,” said Keith. “We’re really focusing on getting students to come to school and stay in school and [work] with them if there’s something preventing them from doing so.”
Keith also aims to change the current narrative surrounding the dean’s office.
“My biggest personal goal is to break the stigma of the dean’s office being ‘Oh, you’re in trouble.’ You might have made a really poor decision, you might have made a really bad mistake, and we’re gonna have to talk about it,” said Keith. “I like to look at it as a learning opportunity, like, ‘Why did we make this mistake, and how are we going to move forward in a better direction?’”
While Keith believes that being strict with rules like the attendance policy is crucial to better student education, she also finds that forming and maintaining relationships with students is just as important.
“The dean’s office is a part of student life, and it’s not just about discipline and attendance even though that’s a huge focus of ours because our goal is to keep the school safe, but it’s about relationships as well,” said Keith. “That’s why I tell the students, ‘Come by anytime if you just want to chat.’”
As a new addition to the North community, Keith looks forward to further helping students be they best they can be and exercise her love for the high school environment.
“[Education is] just my passion,” said Keith. “I love it, and I love being here.”
