Lowell — From substitute teacher all the way up to high school principal, Andrew Steketee has worked at pretty much every level in K-12 education over the past 20 years.
Now, after spending his entire career in the same district, he is beginning anew at Lowell Area Schools as Lowell Middle School principal, where he sees the opportunity to help students learn and grow, build relationships and dream for their futures.
“I have a real passion for career development, having been a high school principal for the past four years, so (a priority) is trying to figure out, where does that all begin for a student as young as sixth or seventh grade, and to expose them to a variety of opportunities and careers based on their personal interests.”
‘Lowell Middle School students have tremendous confidence in themselves. That has been built by the community and strong families.’
— Andrew Steketee, Lowell Middle School principal
SNN gets to know Steketee better in this edition of Meet Your Administrator.
Other positions you have held in education: Steketee spent 20 years at Godfrey-Lee Public Schools in several positions: substitute teacher, classroom paraprofessional, library paraprofessional, sixth-grade social studies teacher for seven years, Godfrey Elementary principal for six years and Lee High School principal for four years.
What about jobs outside education? While in college, Steketee worked for Grand Rapids Youth Commonwealth, now the Boys and Girls Club of West Michigan, as a youth program specialist, where he created activities for kids ages 8 to 18.
Education/degrees:
- Bachelor’s with a major in social studies and a minor in health physical education and recreation, and an elementary teaching certificate, Aquinas College
- Master’s in education leadership, Grand Valley State University
What drew you to this district/building? “Lowell is one of the suburban communities in West Michigan that has always caught my eye. I coached basketball for East Grand Rapids just out of college, and Lowell and East Grand Rapids had quite the rivalry back then.
“Just having visited the high school and attending the Pink Arrow games as a visitor caught my attention. It was one of the communities we considered moving to with my family when we were trying to find a place to settle down. I’ve always held Lowell in high regard. It’s a very strong community.”
Why did you want to become a principal in the first place? “I got my master’s in ed leadership with the intention of being an athletic director. I never had any intentions of being a building principal, and then the superintendent at the time, David Britten, encouraged me to apply for Godfrey-Lee Elementary principal position job. … I took a chance (though I) didn’t really know much about building leadership. It took me a couple years to figure things out, but I fell in love with that leadership role.”
What kind of student were you in middle school? Steketee said the word “chucklehead” comes to mind.
“I was not focused academically in middle school. I was an athlete, so that was my priority at the time. I didn’t really start to take academics seriously until probably 10th grade.”
What sports did you play? “I played basketball at Aquinas College and baseball for a couple years in high school.”
At six-feet-eight inches tall, do you get a lot of kids asking, ‘How tall are you?’” “That is the No. 1 question I get asked.”
What would you like to share about your family? “My wife, Courtney Steketee, is a math teacher at East Kentwood High School. She is just finishing her National Board Certification (through TeachMichigan). I’m super proud of her for that.
“My daughter, Alaina, is a freshman at Grandville. She’s into sideline and competitive cheer, which is a big deal at Grandville. It’s pretty intense. She is also the vice president of the high school’s freshman executive team. I have twin boys who are seventh-graders at Grandville Middle School. Micah is a big athlete; baseball is his main sport, and he just finished cross-country. Calvin is really into robotics.”
Name three great things about K-12 education:
- “It prepares people for real life. You get social exposure. I think you learn more from the social aspect of public school sometimes than you do (in the classroom), especially if you’re in extracurricular band, music, drama and sports.”
- “Public education is always evolving, and we are always trying to reach the peak standard. Sometimes that can be frustrating because we don’t always get there, but we are always trying.”
- “It builds lifelong relationships. Some of the relationships I have from Godfrey-Lee are friends for life, and some of the students I had I would consider friends, so relationships across the board.”
Describe your leadership style in seven words or less: “Laid back, collaborative, ongoing pursuit of learning.”
How will you encourage student voice in your building? “One thing that is really good about Lowell Middle School is students have tremendous confidence in themselves. That has been built by the community and strong families. Providing them as many opportunities as we can has kind of been my thing in education since I started.”
What book, movie, TV show or podcast have you loved lately? “I love true crime podcasts. Now that I have a longer commute, I actually get to get into them a little bit.”
What historical figure would you love to spend the day with? “In a weird way, Bill Clinton, just because it’s so interesting all the things that happened in his life during his presidency. I think he is brilliant, but he has had so many polarizing things happen to him. I think it would be pretty fun to spend time with him.”
What is one thing on your bucket list? “Something that I am fulfilling: I’m a huge Michigan football fan, and back in 2015 I made a decision that I was going to try to get to every Big 10 stadium. Just this past weekend (mid October), I was in California for the Michigan vs. USC game. That was my 14th of 19 stadiums. Oregon, UCLA, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Ohio State are the five I have to go.”
Dogs or cats and why? “Dogs. They give unconditional love.” The Steketee family has a mini bernedoodle.
Read more from Lowell:
• Close up: photography class teaches skills, technique
• Renovations, leadership boost library to ‘exemplary status’
