Partnership Principal
Stephen Jupe

Listen to Stephen!

    
   “A principal has to juggle so many balls in the air. It’s a frenetic, diverse job; you are constantly on the move,” says Oregon’s Stephen Jupe. “That’s what makes it exciting and challenging for me, one is never bored.”
  
  The fourth year principal of The Dalles Wahtonka High School must not get bored too frequently judging by the action that has taken place at this school since 2004-2005 when it was formed through a merger of schools from very different communities. With approximately 13,000 residents, this Eastern Oregon community includes a Google facility, cherry/apple orchards, two hydroelectrical dams, and wheat farms. Professionals, clerks, blue collar workers, farmers, cowboys, migrant laborers, Native Americans, and windsurfers make up the population.

   
  “There was a lot of angst before we merged,” Jupe recalls. “The schools had different curricula, different cultures, and different operational philosophies. People were predicting the kids could not integrate into a single institutional unit. But we have very special students and even though they come from diverse backgrounds they have demonstrated tremendous cohesion. They were outstanding role models for the adults.”

  Describing his school as “a pretty ordinary school doing extraordinary things,” Jupe has endeavored to promote a relevant diversity of pathways to the future for all the students under his care. The school is comprised of three buildings—a Freshman Campus with 250 youngsters, a Senior Campus of 700 sophomores through seniors, and an Alternate Programs Campus of 60 students.

    “We are trying hard to encourage a culture of community and success. It has been and continues to be an evolutionary process, and although some have struggled with the new programs we wanted to try, progress is being made.”

  One curricular aspect that is hard to miss at The Dalles Wahtonka High is the AP courses. The program currently begins in the sophomore year. The offerings are diverse with classes in World History, English Literature, English Language, European History, U.S. History, Global Studies, Biology, Calculus and Studio Art. Music Theory will be added next year and Jupe hopes to add Statistics in the near future.

   “For a small school, we have quite an AP program, and it’s one with an open door concept,” he explained. “No student is turned down as long as he or she shows a willingness to work. The AP experience is great for students—it gives them a different view of academia.”

  Support is also offered to students who may be struggling academically. A Teacher Access Time (TAT) project is geared for students whose grades have dropped below a C. TAT operates during half of the lunch period, and youngsters are mandated to spend that time with their teachers for extra work. Jupe indicated that some teachers initially rebelled at the idea, but now he receives emails complaining on those infrequent days when TAT can’t be held because of scheduling conflicts.

    Attention is also given to students who actively avoid doing their academic work. “Some of our students weren’t caring whether they did their homework or not,” he says. “They were simply content in taking a zero. At the Summer Leadership Institute last summer, I met with other principals facing this dilemma, and one described a homework detention program he was using. We are now employing a similar approach.”

   When students fail to turn in an assignment, they must attend detention that same day after school and complete their work. They no longer have an escape route of simply not doing the assignment. Jupe reports that D’s and F’s have consistently halved for all classes since the beginning of the year and GPA’s have shown a significant improvement.

  And there has been an unexpected benefit. When we first kept students after school for homework detention, some parents complained about transportation. Now they are seeing that the school becomes the enforcer in making their students complete assignments. They no longer have this role and aren’t seen as ‘the bad guy’ by their kids.”

  Other options for The Dalles Wahtonka students are “Project Lead The Way” Engineering programs, an active Culinary Arts program, and strong media and Technology programs. This year he also introduced a community service class, which teaches leadership skills while providing true service to the local community. Its initial project was raising money for a Boys and Girls Club in The Dalles area, and students learned how to promote their project to the community, laws governing such projects, and skills in communicating with local governmental groups. The program also has components that seek old vehicles for automotive service students to work on and a house construction class that completed its first house this year.

  Jupe relishes the challenges of providing opportunities for his diverse student body and working with teachers to facilitate programs that will move the school in the right direction. He also sees The Principals’ Partnership as a key support system for his work.

  “The Partnership is one of the most reassuring support systems to the principalship,” he says. “The Summer Institute gives me a boost each summer when I really need boosting. By the time of the Institute, I need recharging, and the Partnership revives me.”

More information about The Dalles Wahtonka High School can be found at www.nwasco.k12.or.us, and Jupe can be contacted at jupes@nwasco.k12.or.us.

  
Past Focus Principals:

Focus- Blanca Cavazos
Focus - Gene Haynes
Focus- Dan Besett
Focus- Rodney Matheney
Focus- Catherine Guy
Focus- Bob Rodriguez
Focus- John Brumley
Focus- Nancy York
Focus- Jerrylyn Jones
Focus- Gloria Erkins
Focus- Ron Sing
Focus- Bill Hittman
Focus- Jeanene Sampson
Focus- David Gilligan
Focus - Joy Walton
Focus- William Roberts
Focus- Franklyn Wesley
Focus- Magdalena Gutierrez
Focus- Kent Bergum
Focus- William "Rick" Johnson
Focus- Ken Ball
Focus- Dan Tenuta
Focus- Charlesetta Deason
Focus- Rene Posey
Focus- Stuart Baker
Focus- Paul Smith
Focus- Christie Gestvang
Focus- John A. Butterfield
Focus- Janie Hill Hatton
Focus- Steve Warmack
Focus- Glen Clark
Focus- Kittie D. Weston-Knauer
Focus- William Dunn
Focus - Richard Pemberton
Focus- Dr. Anthony Spivey
Focus - John Weigel