Partnership Principal
Jan Borja

Listen to Jan!

    
     “One of the most nurturing, kindest supportive places I’ve ever been.” That’s how Jan Borja describes New Trier High School—Northfield Campus, where she has been principal since the facility’s inception seven years ago.

   “Partly that’s because of our small size (1,050 enrollment) and partly because all of our students are 14 years old, and they need a nurturing environment,” she explained.

    The Northfield Campus, which houses only freshmen, is three miles from Winnetka High, where students go to complete their sophomore through senior years. Created to meet an increasing student population in the New Trier Township High School District, Northfield receives freshmen from six public and approximately five private schools.

     “Having only freshmen allows us to focus just on the adolescent developmental and academic needs of 14-year-olds,” Borja indicated. “We have staff members who love this age group, and we’ve implemented programs specifically designed for freshmen.”

    One example of such a program is a partnership with the Anti-Defamation League, in which Northfield students are taught to respect others and the negative impact of bullying.

    “With our small size, mistakes people make are very apparent,” Borja said. “As with many communities of 14 year-olds, we have witnessed students displaying inappropriate behavior to some of their peers. This program has had a tremendously positive impact in demonstrating to our students the damage that can be done by inappropriate comments. During this two-day activity students can tell their own stories of how they have been hurt by others. We’ve even seen some youngsters apologize for their behaviors.”

     The Northfield and Winnetka student bodies are very competitive for the most part, according to Borja. They are high academic achievers, very disciplined and well bred. Education is viewed as highly important by their families, and they understand that they are blessed in many ways.

    While that provides Borja, her administrative team, and her 95 teachers a group that is anxious to learn, it also presents challenges.

    “The fallout from a very competitive environment is a high stress level and high expectations that students place on themselves,” she said. “Our challenge becomes not just teaching academics, but also working to meet the social and emotional needs of our students.”

     One approach to handling that challenge is through a strategic plan that was begun about three years ago. Unlike such plans elsewhere that look only at curriculum, test scores, and academic outcomes, the Northfield strategic plan focuses on the affective aspect of education. At the Northfield Campus, the staff pays a great deal of attention to teaching about maintaining a healthy, balanced lifestyle; ethical conduct, global citizenship, and the intrinsic value of learning.

Borja explains that with a primarily Caucasian student population, attention must also be devoted to diversity.

“We have to prepare kids for the world they will face after they leave here,” she indicated. “They must be able to work with people of different backgrounds than their own if they are to succeed as adults.”

One way to strengthen the Northfield program in that arena was hiring a diversity coordinator two years ago who works with both students and staff. A key message to students, according to Borja, is “not to feel guilty about the privilege they have, but to find ways to use that privilege in a healthy, productive way.”

In addition to attention to diversity and affective education, Borja and her staff spend a great deal of time looking at how they can build the best foundation possible for their freshmen.

“We are constantly thinking of how we can enhance our strategic plan in ways that prepares our kids for the 21st Century. While that sounds jargonish, building a solid educational foundation for a 14 year-old is essential.

“Many people look at the end of the road to see what colleges high school graduates got into or what awards the performing arts department won. They are overlooking the importance of developing a foundation in young people that will serve them throughout their lives. We are always thinking about how to build a better foundation.”

Borja defines that “better foundation” as multi-faceted, including a willingness to take responsibility for their own learning, to be a self advocate when there are issues, to be comfortable in the classroom asking questions, and to take appropriate risks.

“For example, we have established an Academic Assistance Center staffed by teachers retired from the New Trier district who work as tutors for students during the day,” she explained. “We have provided this help, but we expect the students to self advocate for themselves and seek that help when necessary.”

While Borja happily exclaims that she “loves the people she works with, loves her job, and loves connecting with other professionals in the district,” she does have two major challenges.

“The first is how we at Northfield can maintain an identity as a freshman campus as part of a bigger system. That challenge is felt by everyone from department coordinators to the principal.

“The second is how to connect the social and emotional needs piece for our students with the academic piece that is so easier to quantify. The academic piece is extremely important to our community, but we have to demonstrate to our community that when the social and emotional piece is working students are going to succeed better academically.”

There’s another “love” in Borja’s professional life.

“I love The Principals’ Partnership,” she says. “The ability to brainstorm with people who have different experiences is invaluable. Most of us have the same dreams for our kids, but I find the different ways those dreams are implemented is fascinating.”

Borja can be contacted at borjaj@newtrier.k12.il.us, and the school system’s Web site is .www.newtrier.k12.il.us.

  
Past Focus Principals

Focus- Leonard Franks
Focus- Stephanie Moore
Focus- Stephen Jupe
Focus- Blanca Cavazos
Focus - Gene Haynes
Focus- Dan Besett
Focus- Rodney Matheney
Focus- Catherine Guy
Focus- Bob Rodriguez
Focus- John Brumley
Focus- Nancy York
Focus- Jerrylyn Jones
Focus- Gloria Erkins
Focus- Ron Sing
Focus- Bill Hittman
Focus- Jeanene Sampson
Focus- David Gilligan
Focus - Joy Walton
Focus- William Roberts
Focus- Franklyn Wesley
Focus- Magdalena Gutierrez
Focus- Kent Bergum
Focus- William "Rick" Johnson
Focus- Ken Ball
Focus- Dan Tenuta
Focus- Charlesetta Deason
Focus- Rene Posey
Focus- Stuart Baker
Focus- Paul Smith
Focus- Christie Gestvang
Focus- John A. Butterfield
Focus- Janie Hill Hatton
Focus- Steve Warmack
Focus- Glen Clark
Focus- Kittie D. Weston-Knauer
Focus- William Dunn
Focus - Richard Pemberton
Focus- Dr. Anthony Spivey
Focus - John Weigel