By April Lehmbeck
C & G Staff Writer

HARPER WOODS — Children once again filled the hallways, lined up for school pictures and got to know their new teachers for another year of academia.

Things seemed to kick off with a smooth start after the first several days of school, as the district didn’t face the same challenges it did last year with moving into a new facility at the secondary school level.

“They really seem like they’re ready to learn,” marketing teacher Sharla Krasun said. “They’ve been great so far. They’re excited to be in marketing.”

Those who got into her full sports entertainment marketing class are in for something new this year, as Krasun has some new technology equipment to work with, including digital and video cameras, which she plans to use for a major project this year.

This unique class will record sporting events and activities for a sort of ESPN highlight project.

“I can do a lot more hands-on (projects) because the equipment is available to the kids,” Krasun said.

New principal and a familiar face
Beacon Elementary started off its new school year with a new principal, but it turns out she isn’t so new after all.

Janet Gottsleben has been a teacher at the early elementary school for about the last three decades, and she’s ready for another challenge in her career.

“I’m by no means new to the building,” she said, “but new to the position. I have worn about every hat.”

Her credits include a couple of master’s degrees and heading back to school for a certificate in administration, spending time teaching different grades in the school and running the character development program, among other accomplishments.

She’s also been teacher of the year in the district.

Some of the lessons she’s taken in during her teaching years should serve her well in her new position.

“Everything that I needed to learn about dealing with people, I learned in kindergarten,” the former kindergarten teacher said.

“Having that kindergarten experience has taught me parents’ needs and children’s needs,” she said. “They need to trust that I care for their child like they do.”

Her people skills are one of her key strengths, she said, and developing relationships is key to success in education.

She’s complimented those around her who are key to making things run smoothly.

“The building has never looked better,” Gottsleben said, adding that she’s worked with the custodians for the last 25 years, so she knows them.

“It’s just such a family atmosphere,” she said. “I’ve been very visible to the parents. I’m in the lunchroom every day. I’m in the parking lot every day.”

She likes it that way, being a hands-on principal, and helping the families that she has gotten to know pick up their children at the end of a school day. She even carries metallic-colored pompoms so that children know where to go if they cannot find the person who is picking them up.

“I hit the ground running as far as the job was concerned,” she said.

Yet, there’s still a bit to learn.

Gottsleben now has to deal with grant writing and paperwork that she isn’t as familiar with, so she is tackling that aspect of the job. 

At the end of the day, Gottsleben doesn’t sit back and think of a goal achieved because being an administrator wasn’t necessarily something she was planning to do in her career.

“The only reason I’m sitting in this chair, the need became … there was nobody there to take the leadership role,” she said.

“Before I end my career, I think this is something I should try,” she said about her thought process in taking the job.

The timing for this opportunity was good with her daughter away at college and her husband off working as a distance farmer 180 miles from home on their farm — so she has time for this new challenge.

Interestingly, her husband harvests items like soybeans and wheat, so she likes to say that they are a couple that is truly the salt of the earth — a farmer and a teacher.

Although she is just a few years off from being able to retire, it’s not on her mind. She considers the learning curve for a new job to be between three and five years, so she’s planning to stick around for a while.

“I’m here as long as I can make an impact,” she said.

“I’ve never done this job for money,” she said. “I do it because I love Harper Woods and I love our children.”

Preparing for the big leagues
Another new addition to the district this year is a freshman transitions course that all freshmen are registered to take.

This class helps prepare the students for heading from the middle school to the world of high school. The course includes a tour of the high school side of the facility, working on organizational skills, a project to meet all the teachers, guest speakers and team-building exercises.

“As a kid, it’s kind of intimidating when you know nothing about a teacher,” said teacher Matt Barranca.

It’s also a means to give students a group of 30 other students that they get to know well, which helps throughout high school.

“I want them to feel comfortable with the kids that are in their class,” Barranca said.

Guest speaker Phillip Glinka, a 2001 graduate of the high school who is now in management at Best Buy, talked to teacher Matt Barranca’s class about goal setting for the future.

He grew up with Barranca, who is another graduate of the district.

“He liked my story, having dyslexia and how I overcame those (challenges) to get where I’m at right now,” Glinka said, adding that he had a lot of the same issues these students have. He grew up in a single-parent household and dealt with the reality of that.

When Glinka was speaking to the freshmen class, he said many had dreams of becoming sports players or astronauts, but dreams cannot turn into reality without a specific plan of action.

“The earlier you start on setting a goal for yourself … the easier it is to attain that goal,” Glinka said.

He spoke to the class about the need to seek out mentors to help them along the way.

Glinka said he enjoyed being able to come back and speak at his old district.

“It’s a joy,” he said. “It’s completing the circle.”

You can reach Staff Writer April Lehmbeck at alehmbeck@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1043.