Anita Hassan has a personal motto: “In teamwork it is.” She ends every meeting, email or discussion with this phrase.
In fact, she closed her remarks to the Board of Education with these words after Superintendent Jon Dean introduced her as the recommended candidate for principal of Mason Elementary School. The board voted unanimously to approve the appointment.
Hassan told board members, “I’m a firm believer that in hard work and in building positive and collaborative relationships and truly working together to set and achieve our goals with data-driven decision-making and establishing relationships with compassion, we will persevere and address the needs of our dear students. I am highly committed to serving each child, every educator, every parent and every community member, and I assure you that I will work ethically day in and day out to serve our students’ academic, social and emotional needs just as if they were my own child.”
According to Dean, the interview team was impressed with Hassan’s wealth of experience, “her desire to get things done, her empathetic approach to how she handles problems, and her commitment to listening.”
Hassan has worked as a school administrator in the metro Detroit area nearly 20 years, primarily as an elementary principal, but also serving in central office and other administrative roles. Most recently, she was director of instructional improvement and acting principal at Hamadeh Educational Services serving Star International Academy, Universal Learning Academy, Universal Academy and Noor International Academy.
Prior to that she was the principal at Star International Academy in Dearborn Heights and at Universal Academy in Detroit. She also has experience as a third-grade and secondary English teacher.
Hassan received a Bachelor of Arts in English and Master of Education in curriculum instruction from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. She and her family moved to Michigan in 2002 and Hassan received an Educational Leadership Specialist Degree from Wayne State University in 2008. She has teaching certificates from both Virginia and Michigan.
From childhood through her professional life, Hassan has counted on three things to achieve success: hard work, overcoming obstacles, and perseverance.
She describes herself as a visionary leader. Her focus is on teamwork, collaboration, and empowering people by recognizing their individual value.
This aligns nicely with the Mason Elementary principal survey completed by 108 Mason families and staff members. In it, Mason constituents said they were looking for leadership styles that were collaborative — the leader seeks to understand all viewpoints and actively solicits input, but decisions are not made on a consensus basis; and transformational — the leader recognizes that the way to get things done is by injecting enthusiasm and energy into the process.
Other qualities respondents felt were key were that the next principal be honest and ethical, a communicator, approachable, a problem solver, and empathetic.
“I assure you that I will work ethically day in and day out to serve our students’ academic, social and emotional needs just as if they were my own child.” — Anita Hassan, Mason principal
Only several days into the new position, Hassan said she already feels like part of a collaborative and effective team.
“The central office team as a whole has been exceptional in welcoming me since day one when I arrived for the interview and throughout that process and since then has been very collaborative and open to sharing resources and guide me in the right direction,” she said.
In addition, she had the opportunity to participate in an administrative retreat, which she said was inspiring, allowing principals and central administrators not only to collaborate, but to “be authentic and there for one another.”
The teachers who have stopped in at Mason this week “have been just so welcoming and positive,” she added. “I’m trying to listen to them carefully to see if there’s anything I can help them with early on.”
She also has relied on the support of school secretary Kathryn Sharp to share important details specific to Mason and the district and has received many emails from parents welcoming her to the district.
When introducing Hassan to the board, Dean mentioned she had “big shoes to fill” in replacing Dr. Roy Bishop following his appointment as deputy superintendent for educational services.
Hassan admits it was a phrase she heard often about Dr. Bishop.
“What an amazing man,” she said. “I keep asking him, ‘What size shoes do you wear?’ He has already been an inspiration and I’m sure he will continue to guide the district. He has been very supportive, available and present and I can’t thank him enough.”
Hassan said in the first days of a hectic week, she frequently was asked if she felt overwhelmed. On the contrary, she said she feels energized to jump right in, get to know the staff, systems and expectations, and prepare for the launch of the new school year.
“As an educator, we always say it’s really important to have peripheral vision,” she said. “Whether it’s getting things ready to make sure the teachers feel supported, or the students with the welcome back events and back-to-school nights, or preparing the building for their needs as well.”
Overall, she describes her introduction to the district as “really inspiring. I definitely already feel very much a part of the family.”
Graduate spotlight: Carys Rees-Baker
Carys Rees-Baker ended her high school career on the stage at Grosse Pointe North’s commencement ceremony singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel.
“It was such a magical experience,” Carys said. “I love that song. I’m really passionate about musical theater and it was such a perfect song, especially with how difficult a year it has been.”
On August 20, Carys will leave her hometown of Grosse Pointe Farms and fly across the country to attend Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. While far from her parents, she will be close to her older brother and sister, who live in Los Angeles.
Carys chose Pepperdine for a variety of reasons. First, she was drawn to the university because of the many opportunities it offers to undergraduates to be involved in musicals and operas. She also connected with the music faculty and the choir director reminded her of Ben Henri, her choir teacher at North. She describes both men as “wonderful, down to earth” people.
Then there was the physical beauty of the campus.
“When I visited the campus, I was just speechless,” she said. “My whole family — we didn’t have any words. It’s right on the ocean. Every day when I wake up I’m going to be looking at the ocean and living in paradise.”
Finally, she said she loved the rigorous academics and received a generous scholarship.
With her siblings nearby — her sister is an actress and her brother works for the basketball team, the Los Angeles Clippers — it was “a perfect situation to be near family and go to such a wonderful school,” she said.
Carys is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in vocal music with a focus in vocal performance. To get the most out of her education, she plans to double major in business or teaching, as she wants to keep her career options open and noted she was advised it is especially important in the music industry to remain versatile.
“I love musical theater,” she said. “Broadway is the dream, but I would love to sing in churches as a professional soloist. I’m also interested in teaching. I bet there’s a lot of things I could do with a business degree in the music industry as well.”
Her love of music was instilled in her from a young age. While her father, Randal Baker, supervisor of custodial operations for the Grosse Pointe Public School System, “plays a little bit of guitar,” she credits her musical genes to her mother’s side of the family. Margaret Rees-Baker is a professional musician, children’s choir director and music teacher. Carys’s great grandmother was an opera singer and her uncle is a band director at the University of Miami in Florida.
Carys sang in her mother’s choir and the two of them often perform duets together during church services or special occasions.
“It’s a really nice thing to be able to do that with my mom,” she said.
While at North, Carys was active in music and theater. She was treasurer of the drama club and participated in the main choir in addition to an extracurricular a cappella choir. She performed in the ensemble in The Wiz and played the role of Tina in Sister Act and Sister Margeretta in The Sound of Music. She also was a member of the National Honor Society and swam competitively.
Ben Henri, her choir director for four years, stands out among teachers who most impacted her at North.
“He’s such a lively, funny person and he would bring a lot of life to the classroom,” she said. “I’ve always looked up to him. He has always encouraged me and believed in me. Even in days that were rough, he would always be positive and help me out.”
She gives another shoutout to her honors chemistry teacher, Steve Kosmas, who came to see her when she appeared as Maria in a community theater production of The Sound of Music.
“He supported me in my dreams and was such a kind person,” Carys said. “He brought his entire family to come see me in the show. It was just so sweet.”
Carys pursued her passion for musical theater outside of school, participating in many community theater productions. In addition to starring in The Sound of Music, she appeared as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and this July as Wendy in Peter Pan, all with the Dream Arts Company in Bloomfield Hills. While rehearsing for Peter Pan, she juggled working in the box office and concessions at MJR Theater in Royal Oak.
Carys also participated in summer workshops at the Michigan Opera Theater, which she credits for providing valuable performance experience and helping her hone her skills. This past year she was a high school vocal intern with the Rackham Choir, Detroit’s oldest choir, which she said helped her prepare for her college auditions.
Her advice for students pursuing performing arts in college is two-fold.
“Audition for as many college programs that you can handle because you have no idea which program is going to want you so much that they give you a wonderful scholarship,” she said. “I think financial aid is a really important thing to consider when going to college. I would also say make sure you get good grades because then you can have more options available to you.”
OneGP: Where everyone learns — every day
Just a friendly reminder that GPPSS offers many online learning opportunities for students of all ages (Google, Clever, Schoology, Chromebooks). Student passwords are being updated this weekend. Here is a reminder on how to access those new passwords in order to utilize programs. To find their new password log into the MISTAR PARENT PORTAL (there is a MiStar Portal button on the website homepage at GPSCHOOLS.ORG). Once you find your student, scroll down, and their password will be available under “Student Login Information.”
Students should be able to access their new passwords Monday, August 16.
School Pointes is a publication of the Grosse Pointe Public School System. To submit story ideas or Pointes of Pride, email info@gpschools.org.