Gemini Principal: Middle Schoolers Surprise You

Richard Groeling has become the new principal at Though the East Maine Elementary District 63 school is in Niles, it educates seventh and eighth graders from all the district's schools, including students from Des Plaines, Glenview, Park Ridge, Morton Grove and Niles.

Groeling succeeds Dr. Scott Herrmann, who served for more than a decade at Gemini.

Groeling sat down with Patch last week to chat and get to know the community.

Earlier:

Patch: You started July 1?

Groeling: I was able to come out before that, in June, and spend some days with Scott (Herrmann). We had a great opportunity. With his compassion and love for the school, he wanted to make sure the transition was as smooth as possible.

We had hours to sit and chat and help me acclimate to the environment, which was immensely beneficial. We did that in June, but I officially started July 1.

How is it going?

It’s been about two months. In a word, fantastic. A lot of people have come by to say hello and introduce themselves. Karen Foley and Kristen Ulery are the two assistant principals. They work 12 months, and I’ve been able to spend some days with them. They’re true Mustangs and have a good handle on all things Gemini, and I’ve met a lot of people because of them.

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What did you do before coming here? 

My previous job was in Elmhurst District 205 as a middle school assistant principal at Bryan Middle School.

Before that I was a department chair at .

Which department?

The fine arts department.

I was a band director; that’s how I started my educational career. If you asked me five years ago do I play an instrument, I’d say absolutely. But now there’s no time.

I do miss it. My major instrument in college was French horn and string bass. I played them professionally for about 20 of my adult years. But  that didn’t mesh with being in education. (He explained school administration takes up a lot of his time, and when he's home, he spends time with his wife and children.)

How old are your children?

I have a 21 year old son and twin 10-year-old daughters.

My son is a senior at U of I in Chicago. He's in honors college there.

Related:

You've taught and been an administrator?

I’ve worked as a teacher and administrator wtith middle school age kids.

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Middle school kids are at a challenging age. Still, children in some ways are transitioning into the teen years. How do you help kids at that age?

People write whole books about that question. I think children, students, of this transitional age need a lot of positive structure, and then within that structure, they need opportunities to extend themselves and be creative.

I keep coming back to middle school (in my career) and I’ve chosen it in the end because these are such formative years.  Because they are in one minute still the young children we think they are and other times they’ll surprise you with how mature they are, how clearly they think and develop concepts beyond their years.

It’s that collection of personality and traits that make them the most interesting to me in the K-12 spectrum. Sometimes you're nurturing a child and sometimes you’re fueling a young adult. It’s an extremely rewarding age to spend your day with.

Can you share a memory of when you were in school?

I remember middle school as being the first opportunity in my life that I was exposed to adults outside the home who asked me to think for myself, maybe form adult ideas based on my own experience rather than reconstituting an image of maybe what my parents would think.

Where did you go to school? 

I went to Lincoln Junior High in Skokie; it used to be Niles East. I'm 53 now, and it was a totally different mix of kids then.

I just remember having teachers, especially in social studies, with the idea of talking about current events. They asked us to express an opinion; for example, who would you vote for, not based on what your parents would think, or how they would vote.

I remember middle school being the first opportunity to exercise those muscles.  To think outside the realm of what your parents would think.

Any teacher who provided that opportunity, that’s my best memory from that experience--we worked on how to make an opnion based on knowledge rather than just what you hear.

There are a lot of new seventh graders who may be nervous about entering Gemini. What can you say to them? 

For the next two years, this is their home away from home--the place where they’ll get to spread their wings as emerging thinkers and young adults. As scary as it seems, this is probably the safest place next to home they’re going to be in. They’re going to meet some talented people; just open your hearts and minds and take advantage of this experience. 

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