Hosack new interim leader
Brandi Hosack became interim principal on January 5 after Daniel Girard announced his departure in December.
February 12, 2015
Brandi Hosack is taking charge at Akins High School since the resignation of former principal Daniel Girard in early January.
Students and parents were notified over the winter break of Girard’s resignation through a letter that was sent to the homes of many.
Hosack, who was the New Tech Academy director, is now the interim principal while the school district conducts a search to find a permanent principal for the campus. Hosack has served in various roles at Akins before being named interim principal, including as a science teacher and assistant principal of the Social Services Academy.
“This is my 11th year here,” Hosack said. “I actually did my student teaching here, then I became a teacher here, afterwards I was an AP, then a director, and now I’m the interim principal. It’s been quite a long journey, but it’s been awesome.”
Hosack was selected as interim out of many potential candidates, some of whom were from Akins. The timing couldn’t have been at a more challenging point in the school year.
Hosack started her new job right at the beginning of the spring semester which is usually known as a time for rowdy behavior, including an outbreak of fights mostly among freshman students.
“The spring semester is usually a little bit different from the fall and the way I perceive it is because our freshman come into the fall semester a little bit scared so they don’t tend to act out,” Hosack said. “However when the spring semester comes back, they still really haven’t matured enough yet but they have this sense of entitlement and they’re not as hesitant. They feel like they know the school and so they kinda get this strange confidence that they should not have yet. So that mixed together makes for a little bit of a problem.”
Hosack is not the only administrator with a new job on campus. Shawn Mena, who was assistant principal for the Arts and Humanities Academy, moved to the New Tech director position to replace Hosack.
“I am learning things about the New Tech Academy as I go even though I’m more of an arts guru,” Mena said. “I know a lot more about the arts than I do about technology but I feel like this would be a good opportunity to learn more about it.”
Mena has been an assistant principal at Akins for two and a half years and has a background in teaching high school debate. She has also taught interpersonal communications at the college level.
To replace Mena, the administration found a substitute assistant principal, Dr. Annette Aron, to fill in as the leader of the AHA Academy. Aron has worked in the school district for 35 years. She worked as a teacher for 15 years and then another 20 years as an assistant principal, a summer school principal, and a mentor for other summer school principals. She retired a few years ago, but returned to work when she was asked to be an interim principal at Garcia Middle school.
“I was called and asked if I could come out and help here at Akins. And even though I live out in Georgetown, I made the decision to come. It’s been a really good experience,” Aron said. “Everybody works together and works as a team. So even though you probably have different people coming in together, everyone rallies together to get the job done and that’s the thing that I really like about being here.”
Last week Aron was assigned to another school and was replaced by Dr. Craig Levy as the AHA assistant principal. Before working at Akins, Levy worked at the district’s Alternative Learning Center as the middle school assistant principal. He has also worked for three years as an administrator for a charter school and for 16 years at a performing arts and technology magnet school in California.
Hosack, who has a young child at home, has applied for the permanent principal position and will be considered with the other candidates who have appied.
“It’s a challenge to be a mom, especially with a son that young and so is this job,” Hosack said. “But it’s definitely a job that I take head on. I have a commitment to be the best mom I can, but I also have a commitment to be the best school leader I can, so I take both of those just as seriously.”
