Grand Rapids — As Bill Kenney checks in on a third-grade art lesson at C.A. Frost Environmental Science Academy Elementary, the students take immediate notice, flocking around him.
“Mr. Kenney, how tall are you?” one asks.
“Six-foot-7,” Kenney responds cheerily, towering over the third-graders.
“Mr. Kenney, you’re a really nice person!” another student observes.
“Well I think you’re a nice person too,” he replies.
Amid the crowd of students, Kenney is perfectly at ease. But that’s to be expected — after all, he’s no stranger to crowds.
Before becoming a teacher, and later an administrator, Kenney was a founding member of Grand Rapids-based band Domestic Problems. He still plays with the outfit on occasion, but for a few years in the ‘90s and early 2000s, recording and touring with the band was his full-time job.
Kenney said his interest in education stemmed from his involvement with the group. When the band dialed back its touring, Kenney received requests to give guitar and trumpet lessons; the music lessons led to tutoring sessions for math and reading, all of which he enjoyed.
“After a few months, I decided I really should look at education as a serious career choice,” he said. “I haven’t looked back since.”
Kenney is now the new assistant principal of C.A. Frost Elementary and Blandford School. SNN gets to know him in this edition of Meet Your Administrators.
‘My philosophy really is all about how we engage students and have them buy into what we’re doing.’
— Assistant Principal Bill Kenney
Other positions in education: When Kenney entered the field, education jobs were scarce in Michigan, so he relocated to take his first posting as a fourth-grade teacher at Laveen Elementary School in Laveen, Arizona.
He later spent 12 years at Lycée Français de Chicago, where he taught K-8 English and taught math and social studies for grades 6-8. He also wrote the math curriculum for grades 2-5.
When Kenney and his wife moved back to Michigan to be closer to family, he taught sixth grade at New Branches Charter Academy in Grand Rapids before taking his first administrative position as the elementary school dean at River City Scholars Charter Academy, also in Grand Rapids.
Education/degrees:
- Bachelor’s in political science, Aquinas College
- Master’s in education, Aquinas College
What drew you to C.A. Frost? “My family, we’re very environmental, and my sister, who’s a year older than I am, volunteers at Blandford. … So when this (position) came up, I immediately applied for it.
“As I was going through the first and second round of the interview process, the more I felt like this was the right job for me. As I learned about their e-lab, their environmental learning and their outdoor learning, all of these things just sort of came together and I was like, ‘This is the job for me.’ It was the only assistant principal job I even applied for.”
Why did you want to become an administrator? “In my capacity over at Lycée, when I was able to develop that (math) curriculum for 2-5 … I feel like that did something to me. I just felt like I had a greater, more broad impact on students and their learning. … I feel like that was kind of that first instance where I was like, ‘Maybe I should do something that has a bigger impact — on community, parents, students.’ That’s when I was just like, ‘I think administration’s going to be my next logical step.’ And it was. … And I knew it was the right move.”
What would you like to share about your family? Kenney, his wife, and their two kids live in Ada. His 13-year-old son and a 15-year-old daughter attend Forest Hills Public Schools.
“They’re just great,” he said of his kids. “They’re the nicest, most considerate kids. They do really well in school and they’re kind to other people.”
What ideas or strategies will you bring to C.A. Frost from your last posting? “I come from an environment where parent involvement and culture was a little more challenging to develop, but I feel like I was able to develop that by bringing families in, really opening up that line of communication, and celebrating kids a whole lot — their achievements, their growth, those sorts of things.
“So I really want to bring that here … and really celebrate students and let them realize how fun their growth can be. And let parents in on that and let the community in on that.”
What song would you pick to define you? “‘Sledgehammer’ by Peter Gabriel. It’s a great tune. The intro and everything — it’s really uplifting and I love it.”
Your first concert: “Simon & Garfunkel, with the Everly Brothers opening up, at the World Music Theater in Tinley Park, Illinois. I think I was 9 or 10.”
What book, movie, TV show or podcast have you loved lately? “I’m actually re-reading a book called ‘Legacy of Ashes,’ and it’s really good. It’s about the JFK assassination and all the conspiracy theories surrounding it.”
What historical figure would you love to spend the day with? “Teddy Roosevelt. I think he would be an interesting dude to meet from history, especially in the context of today’s political scenery. It would be interesting to get his thoughts on it.”
How does education compare to music? “I like the sleeping schedule more for (education),” Kenney said with a chuckle.
Anything else? “My philosophy really is all about how we engage students and have them buy into what we’re doing. Have them be a part of the mission. We need to keep them here, and keep them coming to school.”
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