Superintendent Finalist Monique Beels Would Like to Call Clawson Home

said she has the experience and passion to help move Clawson students forward and is up for the challenge of leading the district.

Beels, a finalist for superintendent of Clawson schools, interviewed for a second time Tuesday evening in the media center of . She sat at a table with school board members as an audience of about 20 faculty members and parents watched.

"I do not see Clawson as a stepping stone, I see Clawson as a place that I can call home," Beels said when the board asked about her sustained commitment to Clawson schools.

Tuesday's interview was more informal than with the board asking specific questions about her experience as an assistant superintendent and how she would be able to adjust to a role that requires more responsibilities.

Beels has been with for two years as assistant superintendent for instructional curriculum, technology and assessment.

Board members say the superintendent role in Clawson requires that person to "wear many hats" as opposed to larger districts such as Grosse Pointe, where there is more support.

Beels said she is confident she can make the transition.

"I’m not afraid to learn and I’m not afraid to ask questions," Beels said. "I trust people to do their jobs. I don’t make decisions in a vacuum, I make decisions with my team."

Baker preschool teacher Christine Hodge said while she is concerned with Beels' ability to handle a larger role, she sees a lot of good qualities in her. "I think she's honest and appears to be hard-working," Hodge said. "She seems to really want to follow up on ideas."

Hodge said she spent time with Beels on Tuesday when she visited Clawson schools and spoke with faculty members.

Clawson parent Tracey Brown said she was impressed with Beels' interview responses on Tuesday. "She seems to really want to be here," Brown said. "She seems to want to go ahead and adapt to our district."

Interview topics

Each board member had a chance to ask Beels questions during the interview, and there was some back-and-forth discussion on certain topics. Beels discussed her position on preparing students for the future, reviewing curriculum, improving achievement and learning, transparency and other leadership topics. Here are the highlights:

• Preparing students for the future: Beels said it is important to think beyond the basics when preparing students. She said the key is to install curiosity, innovation and critical thinking into students and stimulate interest in what they learn in class. Mentoring programs, tutoring and activities such as Challenge Day are good methods for getting students excited about school, she said.
• Systematically reviewing curriculum: Beels said she is familiar with a five-year curriculum review process. She also mentioned using results from MEAP tests, ACT tests, common assessments and other standardized test to group data and see if students are retaining what teachers are teaching.
• Improving achievement and learning: Beels discussed reading and writing workshops for students. She said it's important to incorporate the reading and writing element with math and science courses. The board also asked Beels about encouraging teachers to be innovative and said teachers should have the opportunity to visit other districts and learn new teaching strategies.
• Transparency: Beels said she has worked with Plante Moran on studies about school districts and the information is presented at board meetings and made public so parents can see how the district is analyzed. She said communication with the school community is important as well as using the media to get information out.

Beels' work in Grosse Pointe

A small group of parents and school officials will have a chance to visit Grosse Pointe schools next week and talk to the school community about Beels' work in the district.

Grosse Pointe School Board President Judy Gafa has worked with Beels for the past two years. She said Beels works well with the other board members and does a good job helping teachers with training and development.

"I like working with her," Beels said. "She is in the schools on a regular basis."

Gafa said she recently worked with Beels on using grant money to put new technology in classrooms. Grosse Pointe has installed smart boards in its classrooms and also purchased iPads for some classes. She said Beels made sure teachers received proper training on the equipment.

"She is professional… she is very knowledgable," Gafa said.

, superintendent of Capac Community Schools, will interview at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Clawson High School media center. The board hopes to make a final decision by its May 14 school board meeting.