Partnership Principal Rene Posey

    Rene Posey, principal, Round Rock Opportunity Center (RROC), in Round Rock, Texas, is a school leader who on most days needs to wear roller skates.

     Students who demonstrate persistent misbehaviors are mandated by the state of Texas to participate in a Discipline Alternative Education Program (DAEP). As the instructional leader of Round Rock ISD’s DAEP, Rene is never sure what he will find at his school on any given day.

     “I usually arrive at school around 7 a.m. so I can get through the email and other desk work before anyone arrives,” he explains. “The teachers come around 8:45, then the students arrive, and it’s time to put your roller skates on. I will deal with 20 to 30 situations during the day that I had no way to anticipate when I was driving to school.”

    Currently there are 230 students on the RROC campus. The school accommodates students in grades six through 12.They are sent from one of the four high schools or eight middle schools in the district for any number of reasons ranging from fighting to simply not listening to anyone. Most will spend 30 days at RROC before returning to their regular school. During that time, the job of Rene and his staff is to keep them on target academically while developing inter-personal skills that will allow them to function in their school. The RROC serves around 800 students a year, and 67 percent will not return.

     As a 27-year veteran of education Rene has been both an assistant principal as well as principal; he remains undaunted by the ever-changing roles of the instructional leader and compares his present duties to those of the ones he was accountable for as an instructional leader in Sarasota, Florida . He acknowledges, however that his is a job that he relishes.

    “I get to work with some of the most challenging young people in the district,” he relates. “Not only are we responsible for their academic growth, but we also teach them conflict resolution, effective communication skills, and other developmentally appropriate life skills. Our task is to get them to the point where they want to be part of our society.”

     While the job can be challenging, Rene also believes its rewards are special.

    “Just this week I was talking with a young male at our school who was having a difficult time seeing any positive goals for his future, and I shared with him my background having been one of five children raised by a mother on welfare. In his broken English he confided that he was in a similar situation, and we built an emotional bridge. Both of us started crying, and we made a deal. I agreed that I wouldn’t tell anyone he cried, if he wouldn’t tell on me. Having the chance to relate to a youngster in that way is very special.”

     DAEP schools are required to provide academic classes in the four core subjects and social skills. But RROC goes beyond that, offering electives in art, computer science, physical education, and Spanish so that when students return to their regular school they haven’t lost credits. This year a green house was added to the campus.

     Service learning is also an important part of the RROC program, with students working at local elder care centers and with special education students. The Round Rock kids planted a botanical garden for youngsters at one special education school, and take others bowling.

     “Service learning is an important part of what we do in that it demonstrates to our students that they have worth and value and have something they can give to someone else. That does great things for their self-esteem.”

     One of the important roles of being principal at RROC is finding the right people to fill the 18 teaching slots at the school.

     “When you think about teachers at our school, you can throw away the typical definition of a teacher,” Posey says. “Our teachers need to be harbingers of hope. They need to establish hope in kids, many of whom have given up. While they need to be knowledgeable in their academic subjects, they also must teach students and not subjects. They must be willing to parent, be compassionate and be able to see success in small increments.”

     Rene values The Principals’ Partnership and sees that it is helping him lead RROC.

     “Being a believer in the idea that no one rides for free, I was a little skeptical when I was first invited to participate in The Partnership,” he recalls. “But this is invaluable to me, and there is no ulterior motive. The opportunity to be around professionals in your field in a relaxing atmosphere and discuss how to provide kids what they need as we did at the Summer Institute is outstanding.”

    The Partnership is also paying off for Rene in the school building. Recently, he had a teacher who requested help in classroom management. Instead of just sharing his knowledge, he was able to sit with the teacher at a computer, go onto The Partnership Web site and print out additional data.

     More information about the Round Rock Opportunity Center can be found at roundrockisd.org, and Rene can be contacted at [email protected].

 
Past Focus Principals:

Focus- Stuart Baker
Focus- Paul Smith
Focus- Christie Gestvang
Focus- John A. Butterfield
Focus- Janie Hill Hatton
Focus- Steve Warmack
Focus-Glen Clark
Focus- William Dunn
Focus - Richard Pemberton
Focus - Dr. Anthony Spivey
Focus - John Weigel