Principal makes the grade at Dixon Middle

Jay Strope gives himself a grade of "B-" for his first year as Dixon Middle School's principal. 

"I think I did well, but there is room for improvement," he said. "I made a few changes but not many. I was a very small part of any success the school had this year."

The middle school boasts some improvements this year. The retention rate (number of students repeating a grade) fell from 43 to less than 10. Discipline rates are down significantly as are reportable acts (misbehavior seriously enough to be reported to outside authorities).

"I gave general guidelines, set expectations and then I got out of people's way," he said.  "There are many people at DMS that work hard day after day to make this school a success including the kids. The kids really stepped up this year."

Before arriving at DMS, Strope had limited exposure to middle school students. He started his career as a high school history teacher in West Virginia and stayed at the high school level after coming to Onslow County Schools.

Now, at years end, Strope has high praise for the DMS student body. 

"The manners the kids have here are unlike any I have ever seen. They respect authority.  People don't understand that is the first battle. If the kids are well-behaved, you can do so much more in a classroom."

Strope gives a lot of credit to the teachers at DMS. 

"The teaching staff here is very good. There is longevity; DMS has a very low turnover."  He describes a family atmosphere. "Teachers help each other out. There is a willingness to pitch in and get the job done."

As the school principal, Strope faces challenges each day. He said, "You can always make meeting those challenges rewarding, if not fun." He has an open door policy and is out among the students frequently. "I like being out there; it's my nature," he explained.  "My favorite job was teaching. Whenever I can hang out in a classroom, I do it." 

Strope has even substitute-taught for his own teachers. He admits that maybe the students behave even better when he is in the classroom.

"I think it is fun for them to see me in a different role. The staff and kids need to see me as a teacher and not just an administrator or a manager."

For the future, Strope expects the emphasis of the school to be on academics. He said, "I love sports, but if we have a losing season but a ton of kids on Honor Roll - I'll take that.  I hope the rest of the community will take that too."

At the final Honor Roll Awards ceremony this year, Strope and his staff handed out medals to not only those students that made Honor Roll all year, but also to those who made Honor Roll at least part of the year. 

"The reason for that change," he said, "is the more student recognition the better. I saw a lot of kids wearing their medals the next day and I felt good about that."

One DMS student remarked, "The school is more alive now that Mr. Strope is here."  Perhaps part of Strope's appeal among his students is that he does not take himself too seriously. "I really like middle school students," he said. "They are at a goofy time in their lives and I'm a goofy kind of guy. It's a perfect union!"