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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Advertisement Email Story to a Friend April 26, 2006 Central Point Elementary School Principal Brock Rowley spends recesses playing with the children, preferring to build a relationship of trust rather than hammer kids with discipline. (Mail Tribune / Denise Baratta) PRINCIPAL ROWLEY By BUFFY POLLOCK for the Mail Tribune CENTRAL POINT — During lunchtime recess Tuesday at Central Point Elementary School, one of several boys playing football was noticeably taller than the rest. "Go long!" shouted Principal Brock Rowley. Instantly, two dozen first-graders headed for the far end of the school playground, eager to catch one of several pigskins he hurled their way. Decked out in a black suit with a bright orange shirt and tie, Rowley is far from the stereotypical principal. The 35-year-old with curly hair and an easy laugh spends recess each day climbing the jungle gym, throwing a football and fielding the occasional bout of tattletaling. Advertisement A skilled rock climber, he's scaled mountain peaks around the world in South America, Europe, Mexico and elsewhere. "I have some hobbies that you don't except from a grade school principal, I guess," he said. Though he's braved rough terrain around the world, Rowley has also faced challenges on his home turf. A former vice principal at Eagle Point High School, Rowley has guided the elementary school through budget concerns, monitored swelling classroom sizes and eased the transition into brand new facilities — all in his first year. Most importantly, he noted, he's helped spearhead district efforts toward a renewed emphasis on positive, rather than negative, discipline tactics. While playing "tough guy" would be easy for a principal of Rowley's stature, he feels students benefit more by connecting with important adults in their lives. The best way to get down on a student level, he reasons, is to visit classrooms, eat school lunch and play. "It's really more about building a relationship of trust with them instead of hammering them with discipline," he said, a football in each hand. His daily recess time, while fun, is discipline oriented. "We found that most of our discipline referrals were originating on the playground," Rowley said, "so I get a lot of recess." A product of School District 6 since kindergarten, Rowley doesn't criticize the way principals have always been — he's just got some ideas he feels benefit teachers and students in a more positive way. "I come from when they had the board of education," he noted, referring, with a laugh, to a childhood paddling by a school administrator. But positive discipline techniques have proven successful, districtwide and at Central Point Elementary. To make himself approachable, Rowley visits each classroom daily and encourages students to talk to him. First-grader Brady Williams, 7, has been to Rowley's office more than once, he admitted. But not because he's been bad. "For lunch!" he pointed out. "And to hear the Ducks' fight song." "What do you think of the Ducks' fight song, Brady?" teased Rowley. "Ehh"¦ It's catchy. My room is in Beavers. But I could ask my mom to buy me Ducks stuff!" With two years of grade school under his belt, Brady described Rowley as "a really nice principal who goes to recess a lot." "He's in the office all day so he likes to come out almost every day and play with kids," said the boy. Office Secretary Elaine Cook said of Central Point's three school principals in four years, Rowley has found a special way of communicating with students. "I find him to be extremely fair. He has a very kind heart and all of his input has to do with children," said Cook, noting that "Friday lunches" are a prime example of his connection to students. "You can always hear him laughing and goofing around with the kids," she said. "He's a Ducks fan and he'll play the Ducks fight song and the kids think it's hilarious. He really puts everybody at ease and he's made a very good transition for us this year." Back at football, the first-graders beg Rowley to "throw it again, throw it again!" "Nice throwing Mr. Rowley," noted first-grader Ryan Collom. "My dad can throw farther than that. He can throw like 10 miles because he's a police officer." "Ryan, I keep telling you, tell your dad to bring it," countered Rowley. "Ehh, you can both throw really far," Ryan corrected. "You're a champion Mr. Rowley." One of several boys who regularly plan their recess around seeing their principal, Ryan described Mr. Rowley as "not mean and very cool." "He's a good principal. He tells us not to be naughty and stuff. And to not say the B-word!" The B-word? "Beavers," whispered the boy. Buffy Pollock is a freelance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [email protected]. 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