Dana Ricks

3503 Valley Haven Dr. Kingwood, TX 77339832-527-3417

dricks@newcaneyisd.org

Principal Certification Program University of St. Thomas, Houston, TX – 2015

Master of Education in School Counseling Lamar University, Beaumont, TX – 2012

Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction – Elementary Ed. University of Houston, Houston TX -2003

Bachelor of Arts in Journalism University of Houston, Houston, TX -1996

Academic Background

Professional Certifications• Elementary English Grades 1-8 –

Texas

• Elementary Self-Contained Grades 1-8 – Texas

• School Counselor

• Principal – May 2015

Employment History

School Counselor A.M. Aikin Elementary, New Caney, TX – 2013-present Developed and implemented a comprehensive school counseling plan Responsible for the Gifted and Talented Program Served as the Campus Testing Coordinator Served as Campus 504 Coordinator Served as the campus administrator when needed Tutored students after school 2-3 days per week

 Language Arts/Science Teacher Creekwood Middle School, Kingwood, TX – 2005-2013

Planned cohesive six week units with other teachers Worked with students to meet state standards Collaborated with administrators and parents to reach every student Sponsored the cheerleading squad for three years 2006-2009 Sponsored an after-school club for anime/manga enthusiasts 2009-2015 Ran the school newspaper 2005-2011; yearbook 2010-2011

 Self-Contained Classroom Teacher Bear Branch Elementary School, Kingwood, TX – 2001-2005

Taught all subjects in grades 2, 3, and 5 Collaborated with other teachers to plan successful units Worked with students, parents, and administrators to achieve success for all students Tutored students after school who were in danger of failing the TAKS test

Leadership Experience

Campus Administrator Handled discipline problems when both principals were off-campus Participated in ARD meetings when the Assistant Principal was not available Attended Response to Intervention meetings as a campus administrator

 

Campus Testing Coordinator Worked with classroom teachers to plan testing groups for STAAR Trained certified teachers on my campus in test security and subject-specific rules Responsible for organizing and securely storing all testing materials Planned and oversaw all aspects of the campus, district, and state testing processes

 

Mentor Coordinator Provided materials to first year teachers and their mentors Held meetings to discuss concerns and questions of new teachers Sent reports of meetings between new teachers and mentors to district coordinator

Leadership Experience Cont.Team College Member

Attended district meetings to review information on new college initiatives

Attended workshops at Rice university with administrators and teachers Worked to bring AVID college prep strategies to all teachers

Site-Based & District Decision-Making Committees Attended meetings to review campus and district data and goals Researched ways to meet agreed-upon school goals Shared information with campus administrators

Professional Development

• Aspiring Leaders Training – 2014-2015

• Gifted and Talented Trained – 2001

• Pre AP Rice Institute for Middle School Teachers of English – Summer 2009

• Cheerleading Camp – Summers 2006-2008

• Yearbook Camp – Summer 2010

• AVID Week-long Workshop – Summer 2009, 2012

Grants Nonfiction is Fun – wrote and won a grant to

purchase more quality nonfiction books for BBE in 2001

Science Olympiad – wrote and won a grant to purchase supplies for a new science elective course to be offered at CMS in 2012

Counseling Garden – worked with a parent to secure funding for an on-campus garden area to use when counseling students

Professional Affiliations

American School Counselor Association – 2012

American Federation of Texas Teachers - 2001

 

ReferencesTrina Persson A.M. Aikin ElementarySchool, Principal600 Dogwood Lane, New Caney, TX 77357281-577- 2900 Vicki LigonCreekwood Middle School, Academic Lead Teacher, Science3603 Lake Houston Parkway, Kingwood, TX 77339281-641-4468 Richard DelgadoAldine Independent School District, Athletic Director1 Lauder Rd., Houston, TX 77006281-221-1018

Book Review

• Robert K. Greenleaf’s Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power & Greatness.

• Although this book was originally published in 1977, the ideas are still relevant today.

• Greenleaf passed away in 1990, but his writings endure as does the Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership (“What is Servant Leadership,” n.d.).

Inspiration• Greenleaf explains how he developed the idea of servant

leadership. He describes his education and the seed of his great idea that was planted by a college professor.

• Greenleaf also takes us through his career and how he was shaped and molded by it. After college, he began working as a groundman for AT&T digging post holes and carrying tools.

• However, Greenleaf worked his way up to the corporate staff in about three years. He continued to move up in the company developing leaders for the next thirty years. Even after he retired from AT&T, he began working as a leadership consultant for businesses, churches, and universities all over the world. All of this led him to the insights on leadership that would define his writings and mission later in life (Greenleaf, 2001).

Wisdom of the Ages• The book is basically a compilation of talks, notes,

and essays by Greenleaf that he amassed during his career.

• One important common thread that runs through these essays is his deference to important leaders from the past while also emphasizing that good leaders must constantly look toward and seek to predict the future of their organizations and/or fields (Greenleaf, 2001).

• Some notable wisdom from historical figures includes ideas about religion, politics, family, philosophy, and education.

Greenleaf on Education• Greenleaf discussed (originally in the 1970s) some ideas that have taken

root today, over 40 years later. He talked about how students learn better when they do something rather than just hear about it. This is what we call inquiry learning.

• He also felt that educators needed to do more to develop servant leaders in school and that those leaders, if they came from oppressed communities, should return to inspire others. We see this idea today in the push for service learning and social justice in our schools.

• Greenleaf (2001) also thought that power could corrupt school leaders and that it should be shared among teachers, students, parents, and administrators. The site-based decision-making committees in use today have this very same goal.

• He also asked some of the same questions we are still asking today: How can we get students to attend school? How do we teach people who do not want to learn? How should we spend money on education? Does school truly prepare students for the world of work?

References

Greenleaf, R. K. (2001). Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of

Legitimate Power and Greatness (25th Anniversary ed.). New York, NY:

Paulist Press.

What is Servant Leadership? (n.d.). In Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant

Leadership. Retrieved March 22, 2015, from https://greenleaf.org/what-is-

servant-leadership/