Polk County Education
14A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • September 7, 2016
New principal,
familiar face
Brazeau works double duty as
Central’s leader, superintendent
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
JOlene Guzman/Itemizer-Observer
Maria Drennen is ready for her first year as principal at Oakdale Elementary School.
Laying the bricks of education
New principal at Oakdale Elementary ready to help students soar
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — Maria Dren-
nen has a brick in her office
at Oakdale Heights Elemen-
tary School.
The heavy red brick re-
minds Drennen, the school’s
new principal, how impor-
tant the grades Oakdale
teaches — kindergarten
through third — are to a
child’s educational future.
Drennen, whose former
job was as a middle school
counselor in the McMin-
nville School District, said
the early elementary grades
are the foundation.
“This is the age when you
begin patterns. When I
w o rk e d i n t h e m i d d l e
school, and you had a stu-
dent who had missed 30, 40
days, you could pull their file
and say, this started in
kindergarten,” she said. “We
really think of these as the
Maria Drennen’s first-year goals
* Improve attendance.
* Get to know each family and
child by name.
* Begin “service days” for all
students as a chance to con-
tribute to the community.
* Provide leadership opportu-
nities for Oakdale staff mem-
bers.
foundational years. So I’ve
given each staff member a
brick to symbolize that this
is the foundation.”
Her assignment to her
staff was to find three words
that describe why they are
educators and paint them
on the brick. She already
knows hers: “Uplift the
heart.”
“It’s very important to me
that people feel loved and
competent, because when
they feel those two things,
their confidence soars and
good things happen,” Dren-
nen said.
She wasn’t long beyond
those “foundational years”
when she discovered educa-
tion would be her career.
“I’ve known I wanted to
be a teacher since I was in
sixth grade,” she said. “I was
a teacher’s aide.”
She spent the remainder
of her middle and high
school years gaining as
much experience in the field
as she could. Drennen didn’t
have any second thoughts
going into college — nor has
she since.
“Watching a child learn
something that you’ve
helped them with, I think
that is the greatest feeling for
a teacher — to be a part of
that, like you’re sharing in
their journey,” Drennen
said. “That is a gift to us.”
For her, moving from
teacher or counselor to prin-
cipal means she can influ-
ence the education of more
students.
“At some point in my
counseling career I wanted
to have that greater impact,”
she said. “I felt I had the
right beliefs and values to do
this role with care.”
A native of the small
Washington coast town of
Grayland, Drennen saw Dal-
las not only as a place to
jump into administration,
but as a place make a future
with her son Brody.
See SOAR, Page 13A
INDEPENDENCE — Buzz Brazeau is settling in for the
school year in a new office.
The superintendent of Central School District will work
double duty as Central High’s principal.
“I’m having a good time,” he said. “It’s fun to be back in
the high school environment. What I’d forgotten is, the
pace of a school principal and the pace of a superinten-
dent are dynamically different.”
Brazeau said principals make dozens
of decisions each day, whereas superin-
tendents take dozens of things into con-
sideration.
“But you’re not making those deci-
sions every day because you don’t have
to,” he explained. “You’re looking at
more big-picture items, so you’re gather-
Brazeau
ing information and working things to-
gether.”
At the high school, decisions on period or section
changes have to be made immediately.
Brazeau is taking the principal position after Greg
Mitchell left the district in June.
Steve Love, chairman of the school board, said the deci-
sion for Brazeau to fill both roles came after much discus-
sion in executive sessions — which are closed to the public.
“The decision was largely based on Buzz’s experience,
and surrounding him with additional support staff, and
everybody stepping up,” Love said at the August board
meeting. “It wasn’t putting all the burden on Buzz, but
leveraging his experience and using Jann Jobe to do eval-
uations and stuff like that.”
Brazeau’s contract was modified to allow him to fill
both roles, and he will receive an additional $25,000 for
the school year. Love said that was far below what was in
the budget for the high school principal’s salary.
Brazeau said he has made a few changes at CHS, but
doesn’t have plans for anything dramatic.
“We’re just making an effort to create some processes,
some systems and some consistency,” he said.
For starters, a Panther Success has been created. It will
serve as a 30-minute intervention period built into the
schedule between second and third period where stu-
dents can get extra help with subjects that are academi-
cally challenging to them.
Brazeau said this period also could be used to show es-
sential skills, which are required for graduation.
“In the past, we built classes into the schedule (for es-
sential skills), which was really difficult,” Brazeau said.
“Some students are able to complete their work require-
ments faster than others, so it’s kind of an in-and-out.”
Essential skills help was available during the summer,
and will also be offered during lunch breaks, before and
after school.
See BRAZEAU, Page 13A