Principal Arvizu given first-year A for accessibility

By: Matt Chiappardi
   HIGHTSTOWN — The door to Hightstown High School’s principal’s office may have recently been a revolving one, but now that Alix Arvizu’s first year as principal is behind her, the district’s search for someone to permanently steward the school may be a thing of the past.
   "We’re lucky to have her," said East Windsor Regional school board President Alice Weisman. "It’s nice to see some stability at our fantastic school."
   Superintendent Ron Bolandi also has high praise.
   "She’s done an excellent job," he said. "She’s restored order and discipline and improved things from day one."
   According to district officials, finding someone who could be a long-term fit for the high school has been an arduous task. The past six years have had three different people sitting in that chair. There was William Roesh, principal for two years who died in December 2003 after a long battle with cancer. Then interim Principal Anthony Radano, who retired in January 2005, to be followed by John Ward, who resigned after only 17 months on the job in the summer of 2006.
   That’s where Ms. Arvizu came in. When the call came from Mr. Bolandi about the open Hightstown principal position, she jumped at the chance.
   "To be a principal was my dream," said Ms. Arvizu. "It was the opportunity of a lifetime."
   For that opportunity, Ms. Arvizu gave up something educators treasure most — tenure. She had amassed a 29-year career in Piscataway, but the demure New England native took a risk and reunited with her old boss Mr. Bolandi, who had previously been superintendent in Piscataway.
   Now that Ms. Arvizu’s first year is done, Mr. Bolandi says he sees the impact she’s had already.
   "You don’t see kids roaming around the halls anymore," he said. "She’s restored a climate that is conducive is learning."
   Part of that success, Ms. Arvizu says, is a result of her consistency.
   "I do want to enforce rules and be consistent in their enforcement," she said.
   That may have been easier than she expected considering the district from which she came. Piscataway is an urban school district, and to some, urban school districts have a reputation for being less orderly.
   In Piscataway, she said, "It’s more of a bedroom community with no real traditions."
   "In Hightstown, there’s more of a communal flavor; everyone is more laid back and truly suburban," she added.
   Hightstown doesn’t have what Mr. Bolandi calls "extraordinary violence." But both Ms. Arvizu and Mr. Bolandi say the school is a calmer place now.
   That could be attributed to Ms. Arvizu’s accessibility.
   "I try to be highly visible," Ms. Arvizu said, and she asserts she can back that up by her attendance at almost every Parent Teacher Organization meeting. "Parents were thrilled to see me there because they never saw a principal before."
   PTO Secretary Roseanne Stabile agrees.
   "She’s a positive influence and has an open-door policy," she said.
   That open-door policy, Ms. Arvizu says, has been taken advantage of by numerous students over the year. And with regard to those students, Ms. Arvizu says she was impressed by what she saw.
   "Each of them has been polite, articulate and open," she said. "I can’t imagine myself, in my student days, having the maturity to approach the principal of my high school as freely as the students here have done."
   Moreover, her availability extends itself to Hightstown’s growing Hispanic community.
   "Being fluent in Spanish opens doors," she said.
   Ms. Arvizu received one of her undergraduate degrees in Spanish from the University of New Hampshire. She said she is always happy to lend her services as a translator when needed.
   "I don’t limit myself to the Spanish-speaking parents but will happily reach out to parents who might not be involved with their child’s education otherwise," because of the language barrier, she said.
   However, Ms. Arvizu does not enjoy talking about herself or trumpeting her achievements. She’s more impressed by the students.
   "There’s such diversity here," she said. "The students here are community service minded. … I’m impressed by their generosity and how they celebrate Hightstown’s historical background."
   That generosity and commitment to service manifests itself, she says, in a laundry list that includes the Red Cross, The March of Dimes, various Christmas outreach programs and volunteer activities at area nursing homes.
   For now, Ms. Arvizu’s plan is to continue to steam ahead. She says she’s satisfied with the direction in which the school is going and wants to continue on that path. The goal, she says, is to become one of the elite high schools in Mercer County.
   "I don’t understand why we’re not (already in that category)," she said. "We have the talent and we have the drive."
   "We’re the best kept secret in Mercer County," she said.