What is your name and position? It’s Julianne Evans, and I’m the assistant principal of operations.
What immediately stood out from North when you came here? I had heard good things from people before even coming to this school. I have known people who have worked [here] and they had excellent, complimentary things to say. That always makes you feel good when you’re looking for a new job. And then, upon coming to the building and going through the interview process—not only meeting with Principal Felton but a lot of different team members—[I felt] that the overall vibe felt good, friendly, and student-centered. All of that goes into your decision-making when deciding on a new school. It felt like a positive and a good place to be.
How has it been building relationships at North? Great! I feel like that’s one of your main jobs, goals, and responsibilities when you go to a new school—a school or district that you haven’t worked in before. Building relationships is the foundation of all the other work that we do. I believe it’s going really well, I hope others would say the same thing. It’s an essential, key piece.
What does your job entail? When you’re an assistant principal of operations, you get to work with…so many different but essential pieces of the school. The job…[includes] all the things that help the school run and help the students be successful, but it’s not always the first thing students think of. Students think of academics, extracurriculars, and sports. There are a lot of essential functions that need to be there to make the school run and to help [students] have a productive, safe, and successful four-year experience.
What is your favorite part of your job? I wouldn’t actually pick one thing specifically, but I think it’s the variety that comes with the job. Like I said before, that variety keeps me going on an everyday basis.
How do students impact your work (or vice versa)? Students impact the work of everybody; that’s why we do the work we do; it’s for the students. I tend to think that even though I’m not in the classroom anymore and see students every day… Students, firstly, are always the bright spot of the day when you get to have interactions [with them] or you get to go to a sporting event and see them in their environment. The other thing I would say is that they’re the guidepost or how I center decisions, decisions that have to do with the library or the textbook center [for example]. All of those things are student-centered [in my decisions], so input is always highly valued. Even though I don’t see that student in the classroom, I’m at least trying to center my brain and my decision-making around them.
How did your previous experiences prepare you for this position? I actually worked in business [before]—my bachelor’s degree is in business administration. Business taught me to try to be highly effective and efficient while multitasking. Then, when I switched to education, I started in math, which was a passion subject for myself, [and] did some instructional coaching with athletic coaching. Then I went into administration. My first full-time administrative job was a division chair for math and science; it’s sort of like a director but in another district and for two subjects. All the experiences provided a unique lens through which to look at the school or the building from a more holistic perspective. I’ve had classroom experience, I’ve had instructional coaching experience, and I’ve had the ability to manage a large division and had that practice both managing staff. But also looking at curriculum, alignment, and what courses are best for students, and how we always push to be a little bit better every day. [These] experiences help you as an assistant principal because you have a lot of different lenses. All of those help get you ready.
After school, how do you unwind? Well, I have two rescue dogs at home that I share with my husband. Our dogs are our life. [We] walk the dogs and play with them. I also enjoy Orangetheory, so a good workout sometimes clears the brain, which is also super helpful. And I’m a big reader. I like to read for fun, so a lot of my books are mysteries, thrillers, and fun things that aren’t part of the everyday. It helps you escape a little.
What is something you think students should know about you/your job? Students should know, even though you may not see me every day, or I might not be the first person you go to, that I really do try to make decisions that are student centered and to support students in every way that I possibly can. I always have an open door to students, to feedback, and to help as much as possible. My position might not be one that you think is natural, but it’s for sure something that I try to do [well].
What is a band/artist you think more students should know about? I’m going to say this because it’s currently football season. I was lucky enough to be a featured twirler and a song girl at the University of Southern California, so I always think that marching band music is really fun. Everybody should listen to the USC Trojan Marching Band.
