Impact Detroit Magazine Impact Detroit Magazine 2013 | Page 64

Principal Kim Angela Murph-Sims

level Preschool building on the school campus that
covers an entire city block, Principal Sims is
acknowledged as a force to be seen in action.

~ Susan Jones ~

In her endeavors as an administrator, with the support
of her entire staff, Mrs. Sims has also brought and
sustained a wide variety of programs and initiatives at
Bouchet such as:

Principal Sims is a true educator. Her excitement about her
students overall achievements, is refreshing.

Kim

Angela Sims, has been a
devout educator for over thirty years
serving in many leadership roles, too
many to name. On a lighter side
Principal Sims has earned several
alias due to her dedication and hard
work such as: Kim Possible, The
Incomparable Mrs. Sims and one of
Charlie's Angles. Her vast experience in education has
been skillfully crafted into in-depth curriculum
development and implementation, data analysis that
strategically drives instruction and her enduring
commitment to helping all students attain their
personal best which has been the cornerstones of her
ongoing success.
If you ask her why she does what she does, her answer
is always about the children that she seeks to serve and
her dedication to making a lasting impact on student
learning. To this end, as an administrator she has
mentored more than 300 teachers, overseen a truly
diverse staff, facilitated professional development
specifically designed to close the achievement gap
between struggling students and the realization that
they can overcome tremendous obstacles with a
voracious tenacity and hunger for life-long learning.
Principal Sims has a visible presence in her school, of
approximately 800 students, where she is a firm but
fair disciplinarian who makes sure that all children feel
safe both physically and in their ability to be risktakers in their learning. Always a teacher at heart, it is
not uncommon to see Mrs. Sims become an active
participant in classroom lessons, often asking students
questions to stimulate their divergent thinking. In fact,
she always challenges students to push their thinking,
become investigative action researchers who engage in
social issue discussions about global concerns, inquiry
about topics they begin in school and continue beyond
the confines of the school day.
With an energy that enables her to walk three flights of
stairs between the two multilevel buildings and the one

Principal Sims in Action

•

Academic Olympics

•

Young Authors Competition

•

Singapore Math, lesson study

•

Horizontal and vertical articulation of
curriculum using a trans-disciplinary approach

•

Parent University workshops

•

Creative Curriculum for Preschool

•

Garden Room Bridging Science and
Agricultural Awareness

•

Energiza Bulls Fitness Center (Chicago Bulls
grant)

•

Check and Connect (Attendance Incentives
Program)

•

Chinese Kite Making

•

World language studies in Spanish

•

An Art Link Program that includes video
conferencing with students in other countries