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http://www.omniture.com --> Email Story to a Friend July 2, 2006 Wayne Gallagher, former Eagle Point Middle School assistant principal, was chosen as the new principal of Prospect School District for his ability to get students involved in their school. (Mail Tribune / Jim Craven) New Prospect principal aims to get kids involved By JENNIFER STRANGE for the Mail Tribune After four years as Eagle Point Middle School's assistant principal, Wayne Gallagher has been hired as the K-12 principal of Prospect School District. Gallagher will start this fall, with plans to take over as superintendent upon Don Alexander's full retirement in two or three years. Gallagher was chosen from a pool of eight applicants for his experience in creating an atmosphere of inclusivity among students and staff, said Alexander. "He has plans for developing goals for the district which include discussion with parents, staff members, students and community," Alexander said. "He also has a desire to get every student involved in something, and a student that's positively involved with an adult will have much more chance of finishing school in a positive way and with better grades." Alexander pointed to Gallagher's track record at Eagle Point Middle School, where he developed a broad spectrum of extracurricular clubs that attracted more than student athletes and musicians. Nearly all of the students were involved in at least one of Gallagher's programs, which included skateboard, paintball, wall-climbing and bowling clubs, said Bill Feusahrens, former superintendent of the Eagle Point School District. In April, it was reported to the board that 470 out of 485 students were involved in a club, activity or sport of some sort. "The students were highly successful in forming a closer bond with school and hopefully getting a more successful middle school experience," Feusahrens said. "Wayne was a big part of it — from starting the clubs to being the minibus driver who took kids to the activities." The idea for specialty activities came to Gallagher during the weekly Principal's Advisory Committee meetings he started at EPMS. "It was obvious that the kids involved in something were doing really well and we started to talk about how to make that happen for other kids who didn't feel like they belonged at the school," Gallagher said. Skateboarding was the first activity targeted. Gallagher soon found that Eagle Point didn't have a skate park. "We started to take the kids to Medford, Ashland and White City and the kids loved it," Gallagher said. Each student received an EPMS Skateboarding Club T-shirt, and before long, kids started to wear the T-shirts and feel like part of the school. "It snowballed from there," Gallagher said, naming athletic and activity director Tim Sweeney as an integral part of the larger project that matched so many kids with an appropriate activity. "We had pictures of every club hanging on our 'wall of fame' on the way to the cafeteria and for everything a kid was involved in, they got a T-shirt, a sticker or a certificate. Kids really thought it was their school, not someplace they showed up to every day," Gallagher said. It is Gallagher's plan to bring the same infectious ideas to Prospect, where participation in extracurricular activities has dropped from 90 percent to about 50 percent. During August, he hopes to meet with parents, staff and local businesses to form a partnership that will support a series of new clubs. Gallagher grew up in Prospect, graduated from Prospect High School in 1989 and taught at a small school in Midville, Idaho. His background should help his transition to an enrollment of about 190, Alexander said. Alexander, who has been at Prospect School District for 28 years, will serve as superintendent on a half-time interim contract for two to three years. During that time he hopes to help with special projects such as developing a charter school district and dealing with a decline in enrollment. Jennifer Strange is a freelance writer living in Central Point. Reach her at [email protected]. Advertisement s Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Discount Hotel Reservations --> online casinos news Ashley Furniture HomeStore Send Flowers California Casinos GMAT Prep Windermere Van Vleet Sports Equipment Entertainment Guide --> Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Online Casino Reviews