Josh Wenning, 2008 Candidate for President-Elect

After serving for four years on the Board of Directors, I have had the great privilege and opportunity to work very closely with tremendous leaders, visionaries, and role models for our profession. For the benefit of our students I hope to continue to learn from both current and past principals to improve the standings and conditions for all secondary principals.

I believe that we must maintain a positive and proactive approach in our association as we seek to gain membership, represent principals and secondary schools in Lansing and Washington DC, with the media, post-secondary institutions, businesses, and the citizens of Michigan. As we all work to hold our students to a new standard of expectations, we must remain mindful of what makes our educational system unique: the opportunity for students of all abilities and interests to pursue an area of study about which they are passionate and committed to in order to be successful. As educational leaders, we must continually work to provide our students with the skills and abilities to be successful in the 21st Century, where their biggest competition for college admissions and top paying jobs is no longer from students in their rival high schools, but from half way around the world. I believe that I am a solid candidate for the position of President-Elect. I will help to lead this great organization which truly represents what is right about education today. Your vote in April would be greatly appreciated.

Biography- I have been in education since 1997 having taught social studies at three different middle and high schools (Bloomington High School North, Bloomington, IN/ Eastern Hancock Middle and High School, Charlottesville, IN/ and Oxford High School, Oxford, MI). For two years, I served in the capacity of Assistant Principal/ Athletic Director before becoming the Principal at Waterford Kettering High School almost four years ago. I have been married to my wife Julie for almost ten years. She is a stay-at-home mom to our three boys Jayden (6), Jackson (5), and Jordan (2) and “her” dog Jessie. We attend Faith Church in Waterford, where I also play bass guitar in the worship band. My father was a pastor for many years and, along with my mother, is currently teaching at a small private elementary school.

For the past six years at Kettering, I have worked to create a positive culture within my building for students, staff, parents, and the community. Working collaboratively as a staff in Professional Learning Communities, we have worked to shift from a focus on teaching to one of student learning. Modeling principles espoused by Rick Dufour, Mike Schmoker, and Doug Reeves, we continue to focus on increasing rigor and relevance, while developing solid relationships with our students.

Experience- I taught in the classroom for just over five years before moving into administration in November of 2002. As a teacher, I took on extra-curricular activities such as coaching football, basketball, and golf. In 1997, I was an assistant basketball coach for the Boys Basketball State Champions Bloomington High School North. During that time, I also served on numerous committees including NCA and as a union building representative. I am now in my sixth year of building administration. I have been an active member of M.A.S.S.P., N.A.S.S.P., A.S.C.D, and Phi Delta Kappa during this period of time as well.

Related Experience- For the past four years I have served the MASSP as the Region 12 (Oakland County) Representative on the Board of Directors. This past January I began participating in the Oakland MI-LIFE cohort, which is focusing on building and developing the Michigan Leadership Framework in all participants. I am a current participant in the first MASSP Principal’s Bootcamp. Four years ago, I became an initial planner and organizer for the Reach and Teach Initiative which is now entering its second cohort. As a small team we travelled to Ohio to study their approach. This led to the creation of the Michigan Model, in collaboration with a variety of educational groups. In this capacity, I was also able to facilitate part of one of the sessions. This opportunity allowed me to travel to Washington D.C. to represent Michigan to work on I.D.E.A. Recent conferences I have attended include MACUL (March 2008) and the C.T.E. State Conference (February 2008). I am currently serving on the Executive Board of the Kensington Lakes Activities Association. I also serve on the advisory board for the Waterford Teen Health Center. This past January, I was selected as the Waterford Coalition for Youth “Citizen of the Year”.

Education-
• Grossmont Community College, El Cajon, CA; Associate in Arts (1993).
• Indiana University, Bloomington, IN; Bachelor of Science- Secondary Education/ Social Studies (1997).
• Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, IN; Master of Education (1999).
• Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI; Master of Arts- K-12 Educational Administration (2003).