News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Joseph Hosang of Troy, Michigan, has been named principal of Sisters High School.
The Sisters School Board approved the hiring of Hosang in a 5-0 vote in a special meeting on Monday morning, after an extensive public hiring process that involved a review of candidates by teachers, students, community members and Schools Superintendent Jim Golden.
"Joe was clearly the number-one choice," said Golden. "He will bring a skill set that we need in the district. He's very interested in data and... metrics."
The school board has been pushing for broader and more detailed measurements of educational success in the Sisters School District. Hosang confirmed that such measurements are an area of interest and experience for him.
"We tend to be a profession that does things because it sounds good and feels like the right thing," he said. "Now we need to support it with data."
He has implemented many of the kinds of initiatives the Sisters School District has begun, including identifying and propagating the techniques of successful teachers in the district. Hosang believes that grades need to be a better measurement tool than they often are.
"We want to get to the point where our grading system is a communication tool," he said.
Hosang likened his idea of an effective grading system to a doctor's approach to a patient's health. Health, in this case, is an ability to reach clearly defined standards of knowledge and capability.
"A doctor doesn't give you an 'A' grade for a physical," he said. "They break everything down. We need to be able to diagnose where our students are and prescribe what they need to get to that ultimate goal."
Hosang grew up in Royal Oak, Michigan and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps after graduating high school. During a post-service stint as a cabinetmaker, he was given a position as an assistant track coach for his alma mater, Bishop Foley High School. In that role, he discovered a passion for education.
He taught high school social studies and coached cross-country and worked collaboratively with other teachers to develop an interdisciplinary class combining the curriculum of English and social studies into thematic units.
Moving into administration, he worked as a middle school principal in the Troy School District for five years.
Hosang told The Nugget that friends in the Portland area urged the family to visit Central Oregon, and they spent a month's vacation in the area recently.
"My wife (Kim) fell in love with Central Oregon at that time," Hosang said. "When I met the people in Sisters, that was a much bigger draw."
Hosang and his wife have two children of elementary school age. An avid runner and mountain-biker, Hosang is looking forward to pursuing those passions in Sisters and enjoying the opportunities for family camping and hiking trips.
The principal acknowledged that ever-dwindling resources pose challenges across the education system, but he seemed unfazed by the financial straits of the Sisters School District, which has an unusually high degree of community support.
Financial constraints can "stimulate us to think a little bit differently" and be more innovative and productive, Hosang said. He said that he hopes to bring some grant writing aptitude and an enthusiasm for creating effective data systems to bear in
Sisters.
Hosang sees his role at Sisters High School as "to improve what is already good."
He said it is important to stay focused on Sisters' "strong mission, vision and goals."
While he reckons that he has skills and experience to bring into the district, he emphasized that he is not coming in with a heavy agenda.
"I don't see myself as a change agent," Hosang said. "What I really like to be is a team player."
Hosang and his family have found a place in Sisters and are shooting to be in the community on July 15.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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