Q & A with Justin Warnke, New Jefferson Junior High Associate Principal

Justin Warnke is the new associate principal and athletic director at . He joins the school from Lyons School District 103, where he was assistant principal at George Washington Middle School for two years.

He lives in Geneva with his wife Mary and three daughters.

Q: What were your job duties at George Washington Middle School?

A: I was in charge of the daily discipline, the building management and athletic department. I also implemented the PBIS system (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) when I was there and did about a third of the staff evaluations.

Q: Before that, were you a teacher?

A: Yes, I taught physical education. I taught everything from pre-k to 8th grade. I took my first teaching job at St. Monica's School, which is at Harlem and Foster in Chicago.

After that I went to Costello School in Lyons. I taught kindergarten through 5th grade. Then I went to Addison (School District 4) and I taught there for three years. I taught pre-k through 8th grade and coached a wrestling team. Then I got my administrative certificate and took an assistant principal job at George Washington. I was lucky enough to get picked up by Dr. Schmidt and Dr. Skinner and the rest of the administrative team and brought on board here.

Q: You went from athletics to an administrative role - why did you decide to make this change?

A: I was ready for the next step in my career. I always saw myself as an administrator. I love leadership. I love working with adults, as well as kids. It was an opportunity that presented itself, and I really wanted to take advantage of it.

Q: What are your job duties as associate principal?

A: My biggest job will be to do the scheduling for the building for both teachers and students and making sure the students are getting the services they need so we're able to help them learn the best they possibly can. 

Another job I have is to implement the PBIS system, which is Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports. I'll also be doing staff evaluations; I'll be doing the athletic director position. And whatever Dr. Schmidt assigns me to do I'll be doing (laughs).

Q: What do you like about the administrative role?

A: I love the pace of the day. Every day is different. You never know what's waiting for you and every day is exciting. I really like that.

I'm in a position where I can help everybody, not just the athletes or the kids in P.E.

I can help kids on a more global level, and really just reach in and pull a lot of supports from the community - from parents, from teachers, and administration. I'm in a much more influential role and I like that. I like to be able to help people.

Q: You've taught and administered to a wide range of kids from kindergartners to 8th graders. What's the appeal of junior high kids?

A: I really like junior high kids. It's a very fun age. It's a huge transitional age level for kids. They're growing socially, they're growing physically, they're growing mentally. They're trying to figure out where their role is.

They're a lot of fun because in a lot of ways they're like a younger kid, they still look up to you; they're still looking for that love. You can give it to them but they also crave that independence at the same time and you can give a little bit more to them.

In an elementary and pre-k building, you kind of have to hold their hands the whole way and in a high school building, they really don't want a whole lot from you. So you kind of get the best of both worlds at a junior high level. It's very nice.

Q: What are the challenges of dealing with junior high kids and in being associate principal in general?

A: You don't always know which student is going to show up. One day they may be the most lovely child in the world. Or then a boyfriend or girlfriend broke up with them the next day and they're not the same. But I love it; I love working with junior high kids. They're challenging and enjoyable at the same time.

Q: Did you grow up around Woodridge?

A: I grew up in Barrington. I went to Barrington High School. I went through the whole School District 220. I went to Illinois State down in Bloomington-Normal. I got my bachelor's of science there and then I got my master's from Concordia (College).

Q: What are your favorite things to do outside of work?

A: Administration takes up a lot of time during the week so whenever I can, I try to spend as much time with my family and extended family as well. And then anything outdoors. I'm a big outdoorsman. I love sports.

Q: What's your favorite sport?

A: I played football and I wrestled. Those were my two big ones but I dabbled in everything. I played baseball, I swam, I ran. I did the track and field thing. But football and wrestling were my big sports.

Q: As athletic director, are there any changes you're going to look at for in the fall or throughout the school year?

A: My big philosophy, especially in junior high, is to create opportunities for kids. If I can come up with as many activities as possible to keep the kids involved after school, that would be a huge accomplishment for me. I think the more an adolescent is involved in after-school activities, the more they develop socially, physically and mentally. It's something they should all be a part of.

Q: What do you hope the kids at Jefferson get out of their two years here, in addition to a good education?

A: One thing I'd like to see is to develop the total child and not just affect them academically. This is a crucial age, like I said before. So in addition to helping them grow academically, I'd like to help them grow socially and then also physically through the athletics.

Q: What are your goals for the fall? Is starting implementation of PBIS a part of it?

The PBIS website describes the program as a "decision making framework that guides selection, integration, and implementation of the best evidence-based academic and behavioral practices for improving important academic and behavior outcomes for all students."

A: We won't be doing a full implementation of PBIS. We're in the planning stages. There's a whole lot of stuff that you need to do beforehand, such as establishing expectations for behavior.

We'll be developing mission statements, vision statements, behavior expectations, developing a behavior matrix and implementation plan. We're looking to get those started and at least have a rough draft by September. Then we'll present that to the faculty and allow the faculty to give their input so that everybody has a voice with the program.

Over the course of the year, we'll be establishing our implementation plan and finalizing that. Our matrix, we'll be finalizing. But also developing all our supports and resources that we need so that we can have a smooth transition into the program next year.

This is my third building that I've implemented it. I've done it really slow it one district - when I was in Addison we took our time. And when I was in Lyons I had to get all three tiers in, in one year. It's a lot. I'm not saying it can't be done. But if you want it to be accepted by students, parents, staff and administration, low and slow is the way to go. We want it done right. We don't want to overwhelm anybody.

Beyond the positive reinforcement, the communication and the education of the expectations to kids is important so that everybody is on the same page.

If a problem does arise through the PBIS system, you would address it immediately. It makes for a very positive culture in the building. Not only does it reward students, but I feel it's really rewarding for faculty members, as well. If they buy into it, they start becoming a more positive force. Instead of being on guard looking to hammer kids, you're looking to help kids and teach them how to be a better citizen.

Q: Anything else you'd like people to know about you?

A: Just that I love kids, and my door is always open to help both parents and students. My job is to help. Not only make the school run smoothly, but maximize their child's education. I'm always here to help. I'll be here, being as positive as I possibly can.