Saratoga News
Education
Photograph by George Sakkestad
New principal Kelly Green takes charge at Redwood Middle School after serving as principal at Sierramont Middle School in San Jose. She says, 'You don't want to be making goals for the sake of making goals.'
Green dances onto the scene at Redwood
By Michele Tjin
Just because Kelly Green is the new administrator sitting in the principal's chair at Redwood Middle School doesn't mean the longtime performer is putting her dance shoes away. It's just the contrary.
Green is the new face to know at Redwood, and every wall in her office has been dressed up with posters about dance, dancers and dance productions. There's Bob Fosse and Swan Lake, West Side Story and others, too. Bad knees may have slowed her down just a bit as a dancer, but she exudes enthusiasm when she talks about her former dance company, her loyalties to the Chicago Bears and the New York Yankees, or anything else, for that matter.
"I've had an extraordinary career because I've done everything that I wanted to do," she said. "I thought that being a teacher is a fun thing to do, and I've always been interested in performance."
Green comes to Saratoga after serving as principal at Sierramont Middle School in San Jose and assistant principal at Cupertino Middle School, but her road to education wasn't so clear at first. In college she studied journalism, thinking she'd be another Peter Jennings. She also dabbled as a travel agent for awhile before she decided to try teaching. For 19 years, she taught various courses, including English and dance, before she got interested in developing curriculum and being an administrator.
"If kids learn anything from me, it's that I always followed my passion," Green said. "If you set your sights toward your goal, it will happen, but you have to let passion drive that. I don't think you ever have to slot yourself in one place."
At Redwood, she's taken a liking to what she sees in the community. Parents have been interested in meeting her, and she said she's been impressed by her capable teachers and their lesson plans. For the coming year, she and her staff will be talking about leadership, stressing communication and being a professional learning community.
But other than that, Green's style is not to be overhauling the school just because she can.
"You don't want to be making goals for the sake of making goals," she said. "You want the direction to be authentic."
Middle school students are at that point in life when they think they're grown up and yet still need supervision and direction from adults, Green said. Middle school may have a bad rep, but Green has an optimistic view of these preteen years.
"It's the most extraordinary period of time," she said. "I really want kids to find a balance between social and academic development. Social development is just as important as academic development. They're still at that point where they're mini adults but still want guidance and good role modes. We recognize that more."
A discussion of Green's professional life would be incomplete without talking about dance. Because it's been such an integral part of her identity, she has managed to incorporate it somehow at various parts of her career as a teacher and an administrator.
Green started the North Monterey Bay Dance Company, which operated out of a former school where she taught, and the group performed at President Bill Clinton's inauguration in 1997. She also took on the musical productions while at Cupertino Middle School. At Redwood, she already put her dancing feet on display when she and 13 other teachers put on a dance skit during an anti-bullying rally recently.
If students laugh while getting a serious message, then so be it.
"It's OK to be different and OK to stand up for who you are," she said. "Nobody should put you down for that."
Lane Weiss, superintendent of Saratoga Union School District who also has a music background, said that traits Green brings as a performer are values that will help her as the head of a middle school.
"Hard work, discipline, practice, working with others and the ability to think creatively are her attributes," Weiss said. "We have a great team here, and she makes a great team greater."
