Northview — The position of assistant principal is brand new to Highlands Middle School this year.
Thankfully, the new assistant principal, Allison Dykhouse, is not new to Highlands. It’s just one of many reasons why she’s excited to take on this challenge.
“We could see that there was a need for an assistant principal in the building, and I was very grateful for the opportunity to apply and to continue to work here, because I love this place,” she said. “Talking to some of the other new administrators, they’re figuring out the whole district, while I already have this understanding of who the people are and how it all works. So I’m excited to just keep going.”
School News Network gets to know the new administrator in this edition of Meet Your Administrators.
Other positions you’ve held in education: Dykhouse, a licensed social worker, began her career as a school social worker for National Heritage Academies in the Holland area for three years. She moved to Highlands 10 years ago and has been there ever since, first as a special education social worker and then as a general education social worker.
‘How do we teach them good behavior and the expectations we have for them while they’re going through adolescence — that big growing period?
– Allison Dykhouse, Highlands Middle assistant principal
Education/degrees:
- Bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology, Western Michigan University
- Master of social work degree, Western Michigan University
- Administrator certification through Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals’ Path to Leadership
Why did you want to become an administrator? “Honestly, I don’t think I ever saw (being a principal) in my career path, but working here and being more or less in a leadership role without the title kind of led me to see how I can impact the greater community. My husband is an administrator in Kent County, too, so I’ve been seeing how that works and the behind-the-scenes, and I really felt like I could see myself in this position. It wasn’t necessarily anything I was looking for, but maybe it was looking for me.”
Since this is a new position, what are some of your goals for the role? “First, I still want to continue the core social work aspect, building on what I’ve already established: relationships, being a well-rounded person, with students and staff. I want to grow that more, too, with parents and the community, making this a place that’s as loved as much as I love it. We call Highlands like a family, and I truly believe that. I want to help continue to maintain that and continue that Northview legacy.
“I also want to look at behaviors. Restorative practices. How do we continue to work with students who are 10, 11, 12 years old, recognizing they’re still children in a middle-school setting? Just like we teach them math, how do we teach them good behavior and the expectations we have for them while they’re going through adolescence — that big growing period?”
What would you like to share about your family? Dykhouse’s husband is principal of East Grand Rapids Middle School; the couple has two daughters, ages 13 and 11, plus a yellow labrador (“My favorite child is my dog — she’s fabulous,” she jokes.).
“The girls both play travel soccer and basketball, so we are always at sporting events or traveling back and forth to practices and games.”
The family also enjoys traveling, usually via road trip, and has set a goal of getting to all 48 continental U.S. states before the kids graduate high school. They started on the coasts and are slowly working their way inland. This past summer they headed east and checked off 11 new states, and then went west to Glacier National Park.
“Our neighbors are like, ‘Really? You’re road tripping?’ But we love it. The kids do great in the car for long periods of time, and being out in nature, finding new things and new places, that’s really what we enjoy doing.”
What books/television/podcasts have you enjoyed lately? “I’m not much of a TV watcher, to be completely honest. Last summer, I read the whole “Harry Potter” series because my youngest daughter was starting to read them. I have not watched all the movies yet, because I needed to read the books first. When I read books, it’s usually in a series aspect. More novels than anything else.”
How will you encourage student voice in your building? “There’s a few different ways we encourage this. We have live announcements every morning and those are led by our students. I facilitate that with them, but our students lead that and they have a literal voice there.
“We also have ‘talk times’ where students can come talk to me, our principal, counselors, social workers, about anything, for any reason, so that their voice is heard.”
“We also tell students that their voice matters. If they feel like something’s going on or something is happening to them, to tell two trusted adults: an adult at home and somebody here (at Highlands). Make sure that your voice is being heard because it does matter what your feelings are or what is going on inside your head. My door’s always open; it’s a safe environment, but it doesn’t need to be me, as long as they have an adult here. We reiterate that to students often: ‘Who would you tell? Who’s a trusted adult? Think of one at home; think of one at school. You don’t need to tell us who, but let’s make sure you have somebody you can talk to, to make sure you are heard.’”
What’s one thing on your bucket list? Besides the collective family goal of visiting 48 states, Dykhouse and her husband have had a Mediterranean cruise on their bucket list for a long time.
What are two great things about going into K-12 education?
1. “The students. No joke. I go into the lunch room every day and when I leave I always have this huge smile on my face. It’s that goofiness of being in fifth and sixth grade — they’re amazing. Some people think that this is the worst age, and I just love it. They’re mature enough to understand most everything, but they still love and respect you. It’s just a fabulous age.
2. “I think I’ve always been somebody with a servant’s heart, thinking how can I give back. When I was in undergrad, thinking what can I do with that service mentality, that’s what led me to working in K-12 education.”
Describe your leadership style in seven words or less: “Here for staff and students.”
She added: “Whatever I can do to make things easier for the staff that are boots-on-the-ground inside the classroom all day with students, I want to find whatever I can do to help or lighten their load. Which gets back to the servant mentality.”
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