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EDUCATION North Medford High School principal to retire in June Ron Beick will retire June 26 after 21 years with the district Comment By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 17, 2015 at 5:50 PM By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 17, 2015 at 5:50 PM » Social News The Medford School District Sunday posted an advertisement for “an innovative and collaborative educational leader” to replace North Medford High School Principal Ron Beick, who plans to retire at the end of the school year. Beick, 59, will retire June 26 after 21 years with the district, including nearly nine years as principal of NMHS. “We all stand on the shoulders of those before us, and Ron has been a very steady force at North for the last nine years,” said Medford schools Superintendent Brian Shumate. “He’s been an intelligent and caring principal, and the school is ripe to move forward, and that’s a tribute to his leadership.” Beick, a “family man,” said Monday that he and his wife plan to move to Eugene to be closer to their three sons. His eldest son recently took a job in Eugene, and the younger two attend the University of Oregon. “I’m at that age where you start looking at doing other things,” he said, adding that he’s also considered teaching or coaching again. Beick started at NMHS in 1994 as a math teacher and volleyball coach and was promoted to vice principal in 2004 and interim principal in June 2008 after former principal Patrick Royal resigned for personal reasons. Beick's title was made official in 2009. School staff encouraged him to apply for both administrative positions, said Dorine Moore, a North math teacher who’s worked with Beick for 16 years. “We thought his calm demeanor and his even-keeled approach would bring healing to the school, which had had multiple principals in a short time,” she said. As principal, Beick made time for professional learning communities, which was “a gift to the school,” and was known as “the master of the master schedulers” for his ability to plan while taking into account variables such as the conflicting needs of students and teachers’ individual class assignments, Moore said. “We were joking around at the staff meeting where he announced his retirement, ‘Could you give us a going away gift of having the schedule ready before you leave?’ ” she said. One Friday before spring break, Moore said, she brought a cellphone left by one of her students to the front office. After the break, she asked the student whether he’d picked up his cellphone yet. He responded, “Mr. Beick dropped it off at my house.” “There was a standing ovation when his appointment to principal was announced … and the staff again stood and applauded in appreciation when he announced he would be leaving,” Moore said. Math teacher David Haley praised Beick’s leadership throughout the three-year, $33.5 million campus makeover, as well as during the 11-workday teachers strike in 2014. “A lot of people would say he’s really approachable and willing to listen,” Haley said. “He’s always happy to discuss whatever decisions he’s made and give you reasons for his choice.” During Beick’s time as principal, North’s graduation rate increased from 60.8 percent in 2008 to 76.4 percent in 2014. He also helped to open a college and career center on campus, where students can get help planning and preparing for “everything post-secondary.” Thanks to this additional service, North’s class of 2013 collectively was awarded more than $2 million in scholarships and grants, compared with earlier graduating classes that earned an average of $700,000 in financial aid, Beick said. Furthermore, the percentage of graduating students who applied and were accepted by a college or post-secondary program increased by about 20 percent between 2008-09 and 2013-14, he said. “As principal, I was hoping to elevate and improve the school, and the administrative and teaching staff have all worked really hard to make that happen,” Beick said. “It's about all the adults working together … and not about any one person.” This year, Beick collaborated with Vice Principal Joe Cramer, who also is retiring at the end of the school year, to start a senior seminar class to give students time in the first semester of their senior year to research college and career options, learn financial management practices and fill out scholarship applications. “(Beick) is a class act,” Cramer said. “He’s extremely efficient and seems to be able to get a lot done in a short amount of time with a lot of things coming at him.” Over the past five years, North has expanded its elective offerings in the art, music and technical education departments. And, earlier this year, Beick was recognized by the Oregon Music Education Association as one of two Outstanding Administrators of the Year. “I've spent a lot of years here and have been fortunate to be a Black Tornado, and my three sons went through here and received a good education,” Beick said. “Overall, it’s been a fabulous experience,” he said. Shumate plans to meet with North's classified and certified staff April 7 to discuss what attributes they’d like to see in a new principal. The principal position pays between $101,372 and $111,537, according to the job posting, and calls for strong interpersonal communication skills, experience leading school improvement efforts and a knowledge of effective school reform and instructional practices, among other things. A committee of North staff and parents, as well as district administrators and board members, will interview the most promising candidates in late April and, hopefully, name the new principal by early May. Reach education reporter Teresa Thomas at 541-776-4497 or [email protected]. Follow her at www.twitter.com/teresathomas_mt . By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 17, 2015 at 5:50 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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