Every month, The Herald will “Spotlight” someone in the school and/or larger community who we believe is doing something positive. For September, we decided to spotlight Mr. Sullivan, our new Acting Principal at Holyoke High School.

Mr. Sullivan is not only a Holyoke Public Schools administrator, but also a product of the school system. Mr. Sullivan began his freshman year at HHS in September of 1995 and graduated in June of 1999.

Mr. Sullivan started working in the Holyoke Public Schools in August of 2003 as a teacher at Dean Technical High School. He worked at Dean for five years before coming to Holyoke High School in August of 2010. After spending years as HHS’ first floor Vice Principal, he officially took on the duties of principal on July 14^th, 2014.

I sat down with Mr. Sullivan and he was kind enough to answer a few questions about himself for The Herald.

FS: Tell me about yourself, family, city of residence, college, etc.

SS: As they say these days, “I am Holyoke.” I was born and raised here. Played Holyoke Youth soccer and baseball, grew up going to HHS football and basketball games, and eventually attended Holyoke High School and then Holyoke Community College. I then moved on to get my Bachelor’s degree from University of Massachusetts—Dartmouth and my Master’s degree from Fitchburg State University. Except for my time at UMASS-Dartmouth and the year living in Spain I have always lived in Holyoke. I am married to Siobhan Murphy (now Sullivan), who was also born and raised here, and we have a dog, Rita. Don’t get me wrong, I loved living in Spain and going away to college, but in the back of my mind I always knew I would end up right back here. I love the community, the people, the diversity and everything that comes with it. I am always proud to say I am from Holyoke.

FS: Why did you choose to come back and work in Holyoke or even work in education?

SS: Holyoke, specifically Holyoke High School, has always been a special place for me. For years, I listened to the negative stereotypes about Holyoke, but never could understand them. I received a top notch education while at Holyoke High School, had excellent teachers, made great friends, so I decided I should try to give back and do everything I could to help people from outside this great community see it in the same light as I do. It is not easy work and I have not accomplished that goal yet, but I am going to keep working towards it.

FS: What are your goals for this school year?

SS: My main goal for this year it to get everyone (students and teachers) moving in the same direction. Like I said earlier, our success is dependent on one other. With that said, I would like to see an improvement in our graduation rate and a decrease in the dropout and 9th grade retention rate. This is not just the responsibility of the teachers. Students should be helping one another in their classes and talking their friends into coming to school every day. Every one of us has the potential to contribute to making HHS a better place, all I ask is that everyone does their part. Help move us forward, don’t hold us back!

FS: What changes do you plan on making to the school this year?

SS: I am not coming into this job with a plan to make major changes. I think we have a very solid foundation on which we can build. Of course, there will be some changes that come about, but my focus is on doing everything we can to help every student who walks through the door as a freshman, leave with a diploma four years later. If we are able to do that, I would say that would be a pretty big change, but that is obviously not a one-year plan.

FS: Would you like to be principal again next year?

SS: Fortunately, it is only September and that decision does not have to be made right now. So far, I feel lucky to have the support of the teachers and the students. I have tried to send the message that we can all only be as successful as the person next to us (or in front of us). Students can’t be successful without their teachers and vice versa, and I cannot be successful if everyone is not doing their part to improve every day. We will see what happens, but for the time being it is an honor and privilege to be the principal at this great school. Hail Holyoke High School!

FS: What do you like about being principal?

SS: I like the people that I work with and the students. I know I have a staff that is committed to making HHS the best high school in this area. I also understand that commitment is not enough. Students need to do their part as well; they need to be at school every day (on time), prepared to work. I believe every student at HHS is capable of graduating; I just hope each student shares that belief. I think the combination of our dedicated staff and motivated student body is the recipe for success.

The Herald would like to thank Mr. Sullivan for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. We will look forward to seeing many more positive things happen at Holyoke High during this new 2014-15 school year.

Do you have an idea for whom we should showcase next month and beyond? Know someone who deserves recognition for his or her contributions to either the school or community? Drop us a line at holyokehighpaper@gmail.com with your ideas!