DEARBORN — A new era will begin this fall at one of the largest high schools in the state as Fordson High School in Dearborn welcomes new principal Youssef Mosallam into the fold.
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| New Fordson principal Youssef Mosallam, a 1994 graduate of the school, is looking forward to working with students and faculty when classes begin on September 7.PHOTO: Nick Meyer/TAAN |
The 34-year-old Mosallam is making the leap from his position as principal at River Oaks Elementary in Dearborn Heights to Fordson, where he graduated from in 1994 and has served as a history teacher and assistant football coach.
Mosallam said he had always hoped to return to the high school that had a large role in his development as a person.
“It’s always been a piece of me and it’s always been a dream job of mine being a former student and teacher,” he said, “I’ve always said if the opportunity arose to go back to Fordson I would jump at that opportunity.”
Mosallam inherits a challenging situation, however, at a school that many believe is vital to the success of the surrounding community.
Some are concerned about Mosallam’s age and his background as an elementary principal but he sees both in a different light.
“What really matters to me is, do you have the energy and the drive and the devotion to do everything you can to help the kids in the community?” he said.
“I don’t let the issue of age even bother me. I am an invested member of this community and I’m going to be here a long time,” he said.
One of the teachers Mosallam will oversee is Mary Stackpool, who served as his French teacher during his high school days. Mosallam has met with her and heard from other support staff members who were there during his time at the school. He said that they offered words of support and looked forward to working with him again.
As for the issue of coming in from an elementary school, Mosallam said that going back to a high school will be second nature for him.
“Every position I’ve held has prepared me in different ways to be Fordson’s principal. To me, it was more of an adjustment to go to an elementary school,” he said. “Going back to the high school is a situation I am much more familiar with and I feel very strongly that I will be able to relate to the kids, being from Dearborn and Fordson I understand a lot of issues they’re dealing with and their parents are concerned with.”
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| Mosallam, a 1994 graduate of Fordson, said he had always hoped to return to the high school that had a large role in his development as a person. |
“Part of the goals of an administrator whether in their first year or tenth year is to take a look at the data to determine what areas have a large gap and then to question why there is a gap and what we need to do to close it,” he said.
“I want to focus attention in those areas and get the entire staff together to see what we can do to get all students to achieve at the higher levels; I want to take a proactive approach.”
Mosallam said he plans to spend more time in the hallways than in the office in order to get to know his students and faculty better and to understand their individual situations and needs.
He called the man whose position he inherits, Imad Fadlallah, a “great educator” and he plans to seek advice from him sometime in the future.
Fadallah said he knows Mosallam and believes he has the character and passion to get the job done with the right support.
“Youssef is a fine man, an outstanding individual,” he said. “His heart is in the right place but he needs the support and assistance of the community to succeed.”
Fadlallah said that with with so many students to support at the school, finding a way to hire a fourth assistant principal would be a much-needed move, especially considering the need to maintain discipline and morale.
Mosallam said he would look into ways to better serve the students including potentially hiring more staff, although that could be a difficult task considering budget issues the Dearborn Public Schools system has recently faced.
Mosallam is currently teaching two courses at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, one, Assessment for English Language Learners, is an online course and the other, Program Evaluation, is a summer course. He doesn’t believe that the teaching schedule will hinder his ability to perform his duties as principal.
He is also pursuing an Education Specialist Doctorate Degree through Wayne State University. He expects to be done with coursework in December before moving on to the dissertation process, which he expects to complete in about three years.
Mosallam believes that he will be able to complete the dissertation process at his own pace and believes that his secondary activities will benefit him as an educator.
“I grew up in a household where everyone conditioned me to be able to carry several things at once, that’s my personality,” he said. “Working on my doctorate has made me a better educator through researching different techniques, curriculum, and lesson plans; it’s an extension of my job and it makes you better at what you do.”
As for the questions surrounding Mosallam’s age, Fadlallah believes that they will be answered in due time.
“I don’t think age is an issue here, I think goal and vision are the real issues and Joe (Youssef) is a new blood with the right vision and approach.
“As long as you’re student-centered in this business, it doesn’t matter how old you are. There’s only one page in education and that is the page of the students, you’re in that business to address the needs of the kids,” he said.
Fadlallah had a message for Mosallam as he gets set to begin working with the futures leaders of the community next month.
“I wish him success and I hope he has a good start because Fordson is the hub of the community and if Fordson fails we fail as a community.”
– Imad Fadlallah, retiring Fordson principal
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