Mills welcomes new dean of students

New Dean of Students, Mr. Tug Drysdale, has been welcomed to the 2018-2019 school year. His job description includes promoting academics, disciplinary action, coordinating school events, and taking part in various administrative tasks and programs. Even though some parents, students, and staff were worried about how he would fit the part after Mr. Steven Schibi had been a constant for years through administration changes and so on, teachers and students have been grateful for the smooth transition and how well Drysdale has acclimated to the school.

 Principal, Mr. Christopher Rau, has made a few comments on how proud he is of not only Drysdale’s smooth transition, but how fast he has adjusted to his position only two months into the school year. Mr. Rau says he had “over 50 applicants and the application process was not only hard, but there were three rounds.” In time, Drysdale completed the three rounds and the 7-8 members on the committee voted to hire him. He and Rau quickly developed a strong working relationship. Rau says, “because our offices are so close to each other, we check in consistently. We constantly see each other and make sure we are both checking in.” Rau shared how Drysdale is part of Positive Behavior Intervention System (PBIS) for the students and the Students Assistance Model (SAM) program. While doing so, Drysdale is asked to supervise events and has voluntarily brought in baked goods a few times for the staff.

 Conversing with Mr. Joseph Trahan, it’s clear how Drysdale has impacted the SAM (Students Assistance Model) program here at Lewis Mills. Meeting once a week can be difficult to arrange with all different schedules, but during the time they do get, a lot is conversed, written, and corrected. The guidance counselors meet with Drysdale on a regular basis and it’s become clear Drysdale has a different approach than his predecessor. Softer, yet serious, he takes each problem into consideration. Along with the S.A.M. program, whenever Drysdale must punish someone in the school with something such as a suspension, he will call down to guidance and have a them check in with the student. It is important to the staff to figure out why a student is acting the way he or she is. By checking in, the guidance counselor can find the source of what is causing problems and it can be addressed so that the student can overcome his or her problems and succeed. Drysdale agrees 100 percent and wants to make sure every student is safe, not only physically, but mentally.

When Drysdale was offered this position, he would go from being a Physical Education teacher for 18 years to being a part of the administration. Many people would think it might be overwhelming, but Drysdale insisted he was prepared. Over the span of about 2 months he has learned many names of students and faculty who have impacted his life. While not an easy job, there are many bumps that Drysdale says “are a challenge, but we get through it. If I have a question the staff is very helpful.” While being a part of big decisions, Drysdale is also a very prominent person in deciding what goes on with PBIS. In the past, we have had tickets handed out for good deeds and in those tickets comes a raffle in which you might win something small. While Drysdale likes and encourages the idea, he wants to take it to the next level. Drysdale would like to add higher incentives for students, so we can get what we want from doing small good deeds.  One of the funnier things that has happened when Drysdale first came here was the poster in his room. A Martin Luther King Jr. originated poster hung on his wall. Drysdale says he laughed when he saw it because his son has the exact same one hanging in his bathroom at home. Not only does Mr. Drysdale want to have an affect on the students, staff, and the school overall, he knows it’s meant to be.

 Sam Dorman, a senior here at Lewis Mills agrees that Mr. Drysdale is doing well with his job so far but, has some concerns. Sam doesn’t have the same sense of fear towards Drysdale as he did when Mr. Schibi was here. One of the reasons this is, is because “we don’t really know him” Sam says. Many of the students here at Mills haven’t had the chance to really get to know who he is or what his philosophy is. It’s almost as if a stranger is disciplining the students and walking around hallways. Even though his approach is well, it’s almost “unexpected” says Sam. One of Sam’s hopes is to have an assembly where Drysdale can stand up and talk to the students about his background, who he is, and his views on various situations. Sam explained how it’s important to get to know each other because he is our Dean of Students.

 Even though Mr. Schibi has greatly impacted our school and his leave was a loss for many students, it’s clear that we will be in good, safe hands with our new Dean of Students Mr. Tug Drysdale. Maybe a little bit more interaction with students over time will help make him less of a stranger, but otherwise, he fits the jobs perfectly.