Rockford — A self-described “Rockford lifer” has been tapped to lead one of the district’s middle schools.
Al Reickard, the new principal of North Rockford Middle School, is a product of the district through and through. He’s lived in Rockford since age 3 and grew up attending Rockford schools. He comes from a family of educators, and his grandfather, Robert Boyer, was the district’s first-ever middle-school principal.
Reickard leads with a strategic and aspirational philosophy informed by years of involvement with Rockford athletics, both as a student and as a coach.
“I see everything tactically and athletically; that’s just how my brain envisions things,” Reickard said. “Being in educational leadership has grown out of that desire to help people work for a common goal and be the best they can be and be better each day.”
Ahead of the start of the school year, Reickard spoke with SNN about what makes him tick.
‘I’m a facilitator (working) to get all people rowing the boat in the same direction.’
— Al Reickard, North Rockford Middle School principal
Other positions you have held in education: Reickard has spent his entire career at Rockford. He’s been a social studies teacher at Rockford Freshman Center, and an assistant principal at both North Rockford Middle School and the Freshman Center. He’s also held various coaching positions throughout the district.
Education/degrees:
- Bachelor’s degree in education, Grand Valley State University
- Master’s degree in educational leadership, Grand Valley State University
Why did you want to become an administrator? “Leadership kind of (grew) out of coaching. Like, how do you get people to work for a common goal to be the best that you can be?
“I needed to get a master’s degree and I got it in educational leadership. It just opened up my options. When the North Rockford Middle School assistant principal job opened up, and I applied for it and got it, it just started really growing from there.”
What are some great things about going into K-12 education? “You’re really helping grow your community. It’s one of the positive things about education. You get everybody coming through from your community, and you get to grow kids into young adults and give them access to things that you just don’t have access to on your own.
“As they go through and learn, in their community schools and in K-12 schooling, it opens up access to so many different things. … Watching that process of kids just maturing and growing and learning is such a positive thing.”
What ideas or strategies will you bring to North Rockford Middle School? His main plan, Reickard said, is to support educators and stay out of their way.
“I’m a facilitator (working) to get all people rowing the boat in the same direction,” he said. “That’s my job — just to make sure everybody is in the right position and working toward that same common goal.
“This is our team and we’re going to grow together and do the right thing for kids and our community, and just keep building and building and building through the process.”
What book, movie, TV show or podcast have you loved lately? “My favorite book is a book called ‘Empower: What Happens when Kids Own Their Learning.’ … It kind of challenges the status quo and helps encourage stepping outside of the box and being creative, and coming up with new ideas and new ways to present information, all through having kids own their learning. Because when they’re really invested and curious, the learning is limitless.”
What song would you pick to define you? “There’s a Luke Combs song that’s titled ‘What You See is What You Get.’ I feel that identifies me. I’m an open book; I have nothing to hide and what you see is what you get. I’m here to support people and be present, one step at a time.”
Describe your leadership style in seven words or less: “I’m a team-oriented servant leader.”
Anything else? “A mantra or slogan for me is, ‘What’s the best that could happen?’ … Instead of the typical, ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’ it’s, ‘What’s the best that could happen?’ What are we shooting for? What could come out of this that’s great? … We’re reaching for bigger, we’re reaching for better. And in order to do that, you have to have a positive mindset and a growth mindset. … I’m a big growth mindset guy; you have to be when you’re a coach and an athlete, and I think that carries over into my leadership style.”
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