Monique Beels Prepares for Transition to Clawson Schools

The opportunity to lead a small district like Clawson Schools is something that Monique Beels has desired for a long time.

Her wishes will soon come true.

Beels, an assistant superintendent for Grosse Pointe Schools, will be the next superintendent of Clawson Schools beginning July 1. She is replacing who retires in June after five years of working in the district.

"I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited in my entire life," Beels said on Tuesday.

The school board voted unanimously on Thursday to hire Beels as superintendent. School board president Kevin Turner said he received positive feedback on Beels from the Grosse Pointe school community.

"Nearly every person we talked to talked about how she focuses on student achievement," Turner said of Beels. "So it's good for us to be on the cutting edge."

Beels said she is looking forward to being a part of a district where she can get to know all of the students, parents and teachers and witness how close-knit the Clawson community is.

She said she plans to visit the district during the last week of May to sit in a few classes and meet with administrators. Beels also plans to attend several end-of-the-year school events such as graduation and the honors convocation. 

"I'm just going to be a fly on the wall," said Beels, 56.

Who is Beels?

Beels has ties across the metro Detroit area. She grew up in St. Clair Shores where she attended Lakeview High School. She attended Wayne State University for her bachelors, masters and education specialist degrees.

Beels started her career off teaching in East Detroit and later moved on to teach in Lakeville Public Schools for five years and serve as an assistant principal for four years. She has also served as director of curriculum and pupil accounting in Warren Woods Schools and assistant superintendent for Novi Schools. She has worked as assistant superintendent of curriculum, technology and assessment in Grosse Pointe since 2010.

"I am a teacher at heart," Beels said, adding that she has had a passion for education since childhood.

A background in curriculum is perhaps one of the strongest assets Beels said she can bring to the district.

Students "need a guaranteed curriculum that’s taught, and it needs to be taught really well," Beels said. "In a small district, we can make changes quickly and we can also slow down when we need to."

Making the transition

As Beels transitions from Grosse Pointe to Clawson, she said her first priority will be getting to know the school community and listening to what staff, students and parents have to say.

She said a good superintendent should have an open door policy, build trust, be visible in the district and be able to articulate the mission of the district. 

"It’s that laser focus on student achievement," Beels said.

"I do what I say and I follow through," she said. "I’m going to come in and listen."

More background

Beels lives in Grosse Pointe Farms and has two grown children and two grandchildren.

In her spare time, she enjoys running, cooking, reading and knitting. She is also the vice president of the American Association of University Women in Grosse Pointe which strives to provide scholarships for kids in need.

Once she starts work in Clawson, Beels said she plans to join the Rotary Club and Optimists Club.

• Read more about the for Clawson Schools
• Read about Beels' and with the school board.