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pAGE 8, WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY.JUN3 3 1987 HENRY STREET HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL CLARENCE PRINS Henry was choice of longtime principal Clarence Prins By MIKE JOHNSTON Clarence .Prins began his new job as principal at Henry St. High School, on Monday, Feb. 23. "I was an unknown to them and they were unknown to me. I walked in here that Monday morning not knowing anyone," recalls Prins as if it was yesterday. "So the second day here I called an assembly to show the students the strange face and I'm really pleased with the way it has been accepted. People have gone out of their way to make me feel welcome." Normally, a new principal begins on the first day of the new school year. Prins says his unorthodox starting date was an "ex- periment." By beginning in February, Prins has been able to plan for the 1987/1988 school year, while the current year has carried on as planned the previous year. Prins began his teaching career in 1959 at the age of 24, a history and physical education teacher in Port Colborne in the Niagara Peninsula. He came to the Durham area in 1964, accepting a position as head of the physical education depar- tment at Dunbarton High School in Pickering. Five years later he was the principal at Dunbarton, a job that lasted seven years. He was then transferred to the principal's position at Ajax High School. a During his eight years there, his vice-principal for the last two was Arend Dekker, now principal at An- derson Collegiate. Prins, 52, was given a few options as to his next move. He chose Henry Street. "This is close to home and I have heard good things about Henry. I'm pleased with what I have seen." Henry's staff consists of 77 full-time teachers, two vice- principals and 12 department heads. Prins delegates respon- sibility to his two vice- principals. "I do that because they don't want to be vice- principals for the rest of their lives. This helps them under- stand what is involved with the principal's job." Staff at the school have been divided into thirds, as have the departments and the curriculum. Discipline, budgeting and the timetable all have been delegated. But ultimately, everything must go through Prins. His background in physical education is closely linked to his philosophy on education. "I want to provide an educational opportunity and enviromnent for the students so they can develop to their fullest potential. "When the students leave here (Henry) they should have a work ethic. They want to go out and contribute to society, not be dependent on society." SEE PAGE il I L tend next year and twomore portables will be added in Sep- tember to the four already on site. Ten teachers will also be added next September, bringing the total to 86. Decisions yet to be made in- clude whether or not to go to a two-lunch-hour system and earlier classes, a departure from the current 'regular' daily schedule. Portables pose no problem at all, says Dekker. In fact, some teachers ask to teach in them: "The littlé red schoolhouse concept," as he sees it. He praises all staff at the school, from the cleaning crews to cafeteria staff to secretaries to teachers, for the ease of his transition to the school. "At Anderson, the strength is the people," he says. "But the facility itself needs some work." He points to Henry Street High«School, Whitby's other secondary school, as an example of a good school en- vironment. "I have no envy," says Dekker, "But that's because I want to see this facility upgraded." Science lab renovations are underway and gymnasium and library upgradings are on tap for 1989. Meanwhile, general clean-up of the existing faciility (covering the gouging and cuts on the cafeteria tables) and removal of grafitti help to make it '.iveable." SEEPAGE9 ANDERSON CVI PRINCIPAL AREND DEKKER School upgrading is chief concern for Arend Dekker Whitby's high schoolprincipals 1 By MAURICE PIFHEIl He admits that students may have called him "Colonel Dekker" during his first days as principal at Anderson CVI back in September. But as the school year ends, students may be more apt to regard Arend Dekker with a polite respect and affection. He is, after all, as big a booster of the school as anyone. And whether students like it or not, he's everywhere. "I tightened up a few things...I wanted students in the classrooms, not in the hallways," he says of Septem- ber, his beginnings as prin- cipal after four years as vice- principal in Ajax and Pickering. That strict no- loitering, no-noise policy was to enable teachers to teach with their classroom doors open. "Now I guess students would say that I'm fairly tough - but firm and fair. And I guess I'm known as extremely visibit. "One student had the idea that the principal had to be locked away in an office. But I learned to be visible so that I know what's going on. In that way you're accessible to everybody." Dekker has come to the school at a time, he says, when the "growing pains" are evident. The school once had 1,400 students in the mid-70's then gradually that number fell to about 900. But recent years' and a housing spurt in the area have put the Whitby high school back to 1,200. More students will at- m 1