Northview — Brent Dickerson is exactly where he wants to be as the new principal of Northview High School.
“Truly, this is my dream job,” he said. “When I interviewed for this position, I said, ‘This is it.’ I don’t have the desire to go beyond, or to be a superintendent; this is it. I’ve hit the pinnacle of what I could ever be with this role.”
Get to know the new principal better in this edition of Meet Your Administrators:
Other positions you’ve held in education: Dickerson started his teaching career at Fruitport High School, teaching social studies for three years, before moving to Northview for the rest of his career. Here, he started as a high school teacher for social studies and a now-defunct humanities course. He later became dean of students and then assistant principal at the high school. While serving as assistant principal, he also took on a companion role as principal of the former Northview East Campus, and then helped recreate and rebrand the program into Northview Next Career Center and Learning Center.
“When I took the principal role here, I had to transition away from Northview Next, which was hard. I mean, I was part of the team that brought that to life, and it’s a great program. It was a great learning experience for me. I’m very fond of it. But, you know, it’s in great hands with (principal) Mr. (Tony) Quinn and the staff out there — they’re phenomenal.”
Why did you want to go into administration? “I’ve always aspired to leadership roles throughout my life. I enjoy being in a situation where people look to you to make decisions.
“I enjoyed the classroom a lot; I loved the relationship you develop with the kids. But I really longed for the days where I just didn’t know what was going to happen from moment to moment. (As a principal) you never know what’s going to go on, who’s going to pop in, what situation you have to solve. And it kind of spoke to me, to be able to do that, and have a role where no day is the same and you never know what kind of conversations you’re going to have. That’s what I really enjoy.”
‘Truly, this is my dream job.’
— Brent Dickerson, Northview High principal
Education/degrees: Dickerson tells everyone he is a proud product of Northview Public Schools, beginning at West Oakview Elementary for preschool in 1975 and graduating from Northview High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and general social studies, and a master’s degree in educational leadership, both from Western Michigan University.
Have you had any unique or memorable jobs outside of education? “One of the worst jobs I ever had was, I worked on the fourth floor of a wood staining factory for an entire summer. I was wiping stain off of wood, making the way down an assembly line in this old, hot, rickety building. It was absolutely miserable. And it was the impetus for me to make sure that I completed my education and got a degree, so I did not have to continue to do that.”
What drew you to Northview? Besides Dickerson’s obvious ties as an alum, he said, “I just think we have a phenomenal community where the school is the town and our students are the best students around. When I walk through our school, I just see so many positive behaviors and interactions — kids that just care about other kids. Our staff is second to none. I’m just so proud to be part of that, and to help lead that is so fulfilling.”
What would you like to share about your family? Dickerson and his wife have “two beautiful daughters,” he said, who are in fourth and first grade at North Oakview. His wife teaches English as a Second Language for an online charter school. His parents were also teachers and his dad was a football coach at Catholic Central.
What kind of kid were you as a student at NHS? “I did get one detention one time,” he confessed. “But I never got suspended. I think I was a pretty good kid. I wasn’t a straight-A student — I had to work hard for my grades, but I think my teachers enjoyed having me in class.”
Dickerson was a three-sport athlete throughout high school — football, basketball and track — and served on Student Council.
“Because my parents were both teachers, education was very important to them and so it became very important to me, too. And sports were important to me. I didn’t skip a single day of school all the way through.”
What are two great things about going into K-12 education?
1. “Developing positive relationships with students and staff.”
2. “Seeing students grow and learn and become productive members of society. They come back and visit years later and you see that they’re out there doing phenomenal things — to think that you might have had some little inkling of helping them along the way is so rewarding.”
What was your first concert? “When I was young, my dad’s summer job was managing the parking lot system of the Ionia Free Fair, so we had to work in the parking lots because he was the manager. So my very first concert was probably Willie Nelson at the fair, because of that. … The first show I paid to go see was Dave Matthews Band.”
What’s a book/TV show/podcast you really enjoy? Dickerson’s favorite book is “The Godfather.” On TV, he most recently enjoyed watching the miniseries “1883,” a precursor to “Yellowstone.”
How will you encourage student voice at NHS? “I have an open-door policy. When students need someone to talk to, I want them to know I will listen to them; I want to hear what they have to say. That’s the biggest way, in my mind — making myself as available as possible to listen and interact. There are also the traditional channels, like honor society, our diversity club, Student Council. But most important is that I want them to feel they can come in and have a one-on-one conversation when they need to.”
What is one thing on your bucket list? “I want to go hiking in Yellowstone National Park. We always go south for vacation, like to the beach, because we have little kids. But I’d like to venture out into something more of an active type of vacation, where you’re hiking and seeing new things. … I’ve never been to Yellowstone, and you hear a lot of great things about it and I think it would be a good starting point for venturing into that hiking world.”
Describe your leadership style in 10 words or less: “Be present; encourage students and staff to grow their potential.”
Read more from Northview:
• Doing school as a team: ‘Whatever it takes to make it happen’
• ‘Uniquely talented’ a cappella ensemble finds the right beat
