Dear Mitchell Families,
As you may already know, I will be the principal of Mary D. Mitchell Elementary School next school year. I’m excited about this new opportunity and am looking forward to working with you and getting to know the Mitchell School community.
I realize the Mitchell community will be experiencing its second change in leadership in the last school year following Ms. Kathy Scarnechia’s reassignment to overseeing the partnership with UM and the subsequent reassignment Mr. Ed Broom from Scarlett Middle School during the 2010-11 school year. I have known both Kathy and Ed for a number of years and value the leadership they’ve shown in the Mitchell School community. I understand that the leadership void left behind will need to be filled. I intend to do my best to fill that void, working with you to make Mitchell School the best it can be. As a starting point, I know that Mr. Broom will be working with staff and PTO leadership to help identify a team that will assist in making the transition as smooth as possible.
To tell you a little about me, I live just east of Ann Arbor with my wife and son. I am a graduate of the University of Michigan where I earned my teaching certification and a bachelor’s degree in Education. I also have a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Eastern Michigan University. I previously taught 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades after which I was the principal of Northside Elementary School for six years and the principal of Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School for six years. This summer I’m looking forward to learning more about Mitchell Elementary School, spending time with my family, exercising, traveling, and reading.
To my work as an educational leader, I bring a focus on academic excellence, a desire to be a part of a caring and professional learning community, and a belief that research on best educational practices must guide us in achieving excellence. My previous work has taught me the value of diversity and of the need to build relationships with teachers and families in order to be successful. I also believe that respect is the foundation of success as well as a necessary ingredient to solving the problems that we may face.
Again, I’m looking forward to working with all of you next year at Mitchell.
Sincerely,
Kevin Karr
