Oxford Community Television has a chance for a great new reality show.
They can let their cameras roll as they follow the daily routines of two principals, Mike Schweig at Oxford High School and Marty Johnson at Crossroads for Youth, along with Todd Dunckley, the assistant principal at Oxford High School, who will trade places beginning with the 2011-12 school year.
Schweig will be moving over to Crossroads for Youth to become the new principal at both Crossroads and the Crossing Bridges Alternative High School.
In addition to his duties as principal, Schweig will also become the new Oxford Middle School athletic director.
‘I think that it is going to be a great opportunity for me and I am looking forward to working with the students and staff at Crossroads and Crossing Bridges, but also in the middle school as the new athletic director,? Schweig said.
‘I’m looking forward to continuing with the district,? he added.
Schweig indicated that he has previous experience as an athletic director. He was a building athletic director for Oshkosh North High School in the Oshkosh Area School District in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and he served as the athletic director at Jackson State Prison after graduating from college.
He also previously coached and participated in high school and collegiate sports.
‘It is an exciting move for athletics,? Oxford High School Athletic Director Mike Watson said.
‘Obviously Mike (Schweig) is a friend of athletics…to have someone with his experience and his knowledge of how Oxford works is certainly an asset to me and certain to be an asset to our middle school programs and offerings that we will develop there.?
According to Superintendent of Oxford Community Schools Dr. William Skilling, Schweig had a strong interest in working with at-risk students and developing athletic programs.
‘This gives him a new opportunity to not only advance our Crossing Bridges program for our alternative education students, but it also enables him to work in our athletic program because we want to double the number of offerings for our middle school students,? Skilling said.
‘Our middle school is at least twice the size of most middle schools, so we end up cutting more students each year than we can keep on the athletic teams,? Skilling said.
Watson indicated the need for more athletic offerings at the middle school was expressed numerous times during community forums and strategic planning meetings.
‘That was one of the most clear messages…what we want to look at first is not necessarily expanding the types of sports that are offered, but making sure we are accommodating the kids that want to play the sports we have right now,? Watson said.
Currently, the middle school offers opportunities in boys and girls basketball, football, boys and girls track and field, cross country, volleyball, wrestling, competitive cheer and sideline cheer.
However, Schweig indicated he does not know what the new athletic offerings will be until he sits down and talks with students and coaches.
‘I plan on meeting with administrators at the middle school and I plan on working with Mike Watson…and getting some thoughts and ideas where they see the programs being able to expand and where we would be the most successful in offering opportunities for students and where the interests lie,? he said.
Dunckley will be promoted from his current position as assistant principal to principal at Oxford High School to fill the void left by Schweig.
‘I love this staff, I love this community and I think there is a whole lot more we can do to take our initiatives forward and put our minds together for a great collaborate effort,? Dunckley said.
‘I am sincerely looking forward to spending the rest of my career here in Oxford…I am about Oxford and am not about myself,? he added.
Dunckley has spent a total of 17 years as a principal, 10 of which came in the Lake Orion School District. One area Dunckley wants to maintain is the relationship-based approach Schweig was well-known for.
‘I want to maintain that relationship based approach so we are all about people first,? Dunckley said. ‘I want to include some parents and students in on alterations we make and I am looking to create more collaboration by bringing focus to the priorities and enhancing our communication.?
Dunckley was busy during his first year at OHS. Besides working on a new high school schedule for the upcoming school year, he helped make the Oxford International Residency Academy a reality this fall.
Meanwhile, Johnson will become an assistant principal at Oxford High School and be exclusively assigned to the new international virtual high school, which is set to launch this fall.
‘Johnson has pioneered our virtual online classes for our credit recovery program and has a strong interest in that area and developing our virtual high school,? Skilling said.
(See story on Page B-3 for information on the virtual high school.)
‘I am thrilled for the opportunity to be in on the initial launch of such an innovative, sustainable program,? Johnson said in a press release sent out by the district last week.
Skilling said the reassigning of the principals was necessary in order for the district to prepare for the new opportunities for middle school and high school students.
Although Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations Tim Loock did not know if Schweig’s, Dunckley’s and Johnson’s salaries and benefits would change, Schweig believed his salary and benefits would stay the same while Dunckley thought his salary would go up to the same step as Schweig when he was principal at OHS.