June 24, 2019
EDCAL 7
ROSS
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Region 17; Two years as the ACSA
Director of Sponsorships and Membership
Benefits.
•••
Jason Ross says the best advice he ever
received came from one of his former
assistant superintendents, who told him,
“Always do what is best for kids and you
will never make the wrong decision.” He
says it’s the advice he thinks about regu-
larly and has passed on to others over the
years.
Ross began his career as an English
teacher in HBUHSD in 1997 and became
an assistant principal in 2003.
Many administrators don’t get into
education to become an administrator, and
Ross considers himself part of that group.
He loved teaching at the continuation high
school before moving to the role of assis-
tant principal.
“I had a principal who pulled me aside
one day and told me about the California
School Leadership Academy, a program
ran through the OC Department of
Education,” Ross said. “I always saw myself
as a leader and I accepted her offer. At the
end of the two-year program, I interviewed
for an assistant principal job that came
open in my district.”
Ross only expected to gain some inter-
view practice, but instead he got the job
of assistant principal — a position he’s
held for 15 years. Ross says the ACSA
Administrator of the Year Award is his
greatest individual achievement, but he’s
most proud of the programs he’s been able
to implement during his career.
“I led a small team of teachers through
the process of starting a new STEAM
pathway and program that is now in its
third year. We will have our first graduat-
ing class next year, and I am so proud of
the work our staff and students are doing
every day in that program,” he said. “Our
students are getting the most amazing,
hands-on, project-based instruction and
have been able to learn from aerospace
engineers and experience the physics of
flight in an indoor skydiving facility.”
What is your favorite book on leadership:
My favorite leadership book is
“Leadership is an Art” by Max DePree.
Reading is where I learned what servant
leadership is all about.
HENRY
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the climate and culture of Martin Luther
King, Jr. Technology Academy.”
What’s your favorite book on leadership?
There are so many, but I’ll stay with
a classic: “Good to Great: Why Some
Companies Make the Leap … and Others
Don’t” by Jim Collins.
What’s your favorite quote about leader-
ship?
“Be the change you wish to see in the
world.”
What are some of your favorite apps?
Apple Podcasts, Audible, Instagram,
Canva, Google Drive
What’s your best strategy for work/life
balance?
This is still a work in progress!
What are the top five life hacks that you
would recommend for a new administra-
tor?
1. Make use of the commute. I listen to
Assistant Principal Jason Ross is congratulated by the staff at Edison High School. Ross says, “Being an AP is who I am, and I love it.”
What are some of your favorite apps?
Most of my app time is spent on
Twitter and Instagram, which I mostly use
for work and for keeping up with my PLN.
What’s your best strategy for work/life
balance?
I wish I had one. I am still working
on that one. I would say that my work/
life balance is not so balanced, but I love
my school and community and don’t see
the time I spend here as taking away from
other parts of my life. Being an AP is who
I am, and I love it. The best advice I would
give administrators with young families is
to take your kids with you to everything.
Let them grow up on the sidelines watch-
ing Friday night football games and in the
auditorium seats seeing the spring play.
What are the top life hacks that you
would recommend for a new administra-
tor?
Practice mindfulness.
Schedule everything, including time to
take care of your health.
Relationships are everything. Cultivate
them daily.
Who is someone who inspires you?
My son Jack, who is a freshman at
Edison High School this year, inspires
me greatly. He would be surprised by this
answer, but I see in him all that is good
still in our world. He is the student, athlete
and son I wished I could have been in high
podcasts and audiobooks.
2. Use your calendar
as a tool for sanity. Code
FYI dates vs. actual
appointments, schedule
time to get in classrooms,
block time for your own
wellness and balance.
Henry
3. Start by seeking to
understand. Hold one-to-
one meetings with your staff members to
learn the pulse of the school, ask questions
and seek feedback on the school’s points
of pride and areas for growth, and ask how
you can support them. Use this data to
craft next steps. Your best resources are the
people already in the system.
4. Keep a running Google Doc of your
accomplishments over the year. Add items
as they happen. You’ll be amazed at how
much you’ve achieved.
5. Find a coach. We all need feedback
and someone to help us grow. Seek out
someone that knows your work, can pro-
vide guidance and give you objective feed-
back.
What made you want to become a school
administrator?
It’s sounds cliché, but being able to sup-
school, and I couldn’t be prouder of him. I
want him and my daughter, Kate, to have
more opportunities to succeed than I had,
and that is why I work so hard for them
and my community.
What’s your pre-game ritual to get ready
for a big meeting or presentation?
I am a detail guy, and preparation is a
big part of my ritual. Going over and over
the details and actually going through the
meeting or presentation in my head is key.
It’s almost like how Michael Jordan talks
about visualizing a big game, play-by-play,
before the game happens. I have found that
this technique always works.
What was the best ACSA event you’ve
attended?
ACSA Leadership Summit is the best
ACSA event I attend each year. I tell
everyone that they are missing out if they
don’t go. Not only are the keynote speakers
incredible, the workshops are on current
topics that are so relevant to the work we
are doing. I have never been disappointed
by one of them.
How has ACSA supported you in your
career/current position?
From attending the UCLA Institute
for New & Aspiring Principals to net-
working with ACSA colleagues to learning
from the great presenters at the ACSA
Leadership Summit, I have benefited
greatly from being a part of this incredible
“I will not let a
ZIP code determine
their destiny.”
Shana Henry
Principal, Martin Luther King, Jr.
Technology Academy
port students on a bigger scale.
What are you most proud of accomplish-
ing?
Moving a school from the lowest in the
district to one of the highest achieving.
Who is someone who inspires you?
My parents. They came to this country
with nothing and created a very successful
business. They are the hardest working,
most humble and most driven people I
know.
What was the best ACSA event you’ve
attended?
The annual Leadership Summit.
organization.
What bucket list item do you hope to
accomplish this year?
With two kids still in school, I don’t
get to my list very often; however, I would
travel to a country I have never been
before. I am really interested in going to
Vietnam and traveling around the region. I
love to travel but don’t get to as much as I
would like, so that would be awesome.
The theme of the 2019 Leadership
Summit is “Lead Well: Equity and
Excellence.” What projects are you work-
ing on which have equity as their focus?
For the past year, I have been trying
to build the leadership capacity of our
LGBTQ students in our SAGA Club
(Sexuality and Gender Acceptance Club)
in an effort to build some student allies
so we can work together to create a more
inclusive environment on campus. This
year, I was able to connect with LGBT
Center OC and their School Outreach
Coordinator Tony Orduno, and he has
come out now a few times to meet with
our students. We are hoping to have a few
of them participate in the center’s summer
leadership program so that they can learn
more about how to affect change on their
campuses. My goal is to continue to work
with them next year on a project of their
choosing at Edison High School.
How has ACSA supported you in your
career/current position?
ACSA creates opportunities for mem-
bers to meet and connect with amazing
leaders in the region and state. The net-
working opportunities are invaluable.
What bucket list item do you hope to
accomplish this year?
Personally, take a Disney Cruise with
my family.
Professionally, present at an ACSA
conference (accomplished at North State
Conference and hoping to do so again at
Summit).
The theme of the 2019 Leadership
Summit is “Lead Well: Equity and
Excellence.” What projects are you work-
ing on which have equity as their focus?
There is a clear opportunity gap in pub-
lic education. Our staff recognizes students
come to us with significant academic gaps
and limited access to resources to help fill
those gaps and provide enrichment oppor-
tunities. We keep this top of mind as part
of our turnaround efforts. Knowing my
scholars will one day compete with stu-
dents from more affluent areas, I will not
let a ZIP code determine their destiny.