By Elizabeth Stieber
Times Staff Writer
During her nearly two-dozen years with the School District of Philadelphia, Carol Nejman wore a number of hats.
She served as a special-education teacher at Frankford High School. She was assistant principal at the Alexander K. McClure School in Hunting Park and at John Paul Jones Junior High School in Port Richmond.
Most recently, she spent four years as principal of the Charles W. Henry School in Mount Airy.
Needless to say, Nejman, a Lawndale resident, knows how to run a school within a large urban school district. But the educator felt compelled this year to expand her horizons beyond the city borders.
Her opportunity came this spring, when she decided to succeed the retiring principal at the Elkins Park School, in the significantly smaller School District of Cheltenham Township.
“I loved Henry,” Nejman said of her years at the Mount Airy school. “It was a sudden decision.”
But it’s one she doesn’t regret. Nejman has been walking the halls of the Elkins Park School only for about a month, and already she feels at home.
Maybe that’s because she can see so many similarities between the city and suburban schools.
It’s not just because both schools accommodate about 750 students, although the Henry School encompassed kindergarten through eighth grade, while Elkins Park is for fifth- and sixth-graders.
Educators and parents, whether in Philadelphia or Montgomery County, want the same for their children, she said.
“There’s a good richness here,” Nejman said. “Henry was the same way. They both focus on educating the global child, not just the academic child.”
That means more hands-on learning and more programs, she explained.
“Elkins Park is known for its tradition,” Nejman said. “All the children are exceeding standards. We’re building the global child — artistically, athletically and socially. We’re having all aspects of learning emphasized, not just test scores.”
Nejman can handle it. In addition to her years of experience in education, she has been active in the National School Reform Faculty, a program that supports principals and teachers in restructuring schools to improve student achievement.
Nejman brings many of her successful ideas from Henry to Elkins Park.
One of the programs she is introducing is the “Hugs, Not Slugs” campaign, which she also initiated at C.W. Henry. It teaches students to avoid violence when solving problems.
“It’s a code for how they live their lives,” Nejman explained. “It’s a pledge.”
Nejman also believes in coming together as a school community, so she has planned a number of ways for students, faculty and parents to get involved.
Every morning, the students head to the school auditorium instead of class. There, they listen to announcements and recite the school’s pledge.
“We gather as a community every morning,” she said.
Another initiative she has introduced this year is a plan to achieve a 99-percent daily attendance rate. Nejman said she announces the attendance record every morning and promises her students a “special show” if that record is achieved.
Nejman holds outreach meetings with teachers at Elkins Park — something she began doing even before school started.
“I’m meeting people, building trust and sharing information,” she said. “Everyone hears what’s going on.”
And that includes parents, she said. Nejman makes sure that parents are aware of what’s going on at Elkins Park via folders that the children take home. Also, parent-teacher meetings may include a walk-through during school hours so parents can give feedback on classroom strengths and weaknesses.
When it comes to communicating with the entire school family, “we keep our doors open,” Nejman said.
One of the biggest differences she must adjust to is the curriculum. Because the Henry School goes up to the eighth grade, Nejman had both an elementary- and middle-school curriculum to monitor. At Elkins Park, she deals specifically with fifth- and sixth-graders, and she can focus on a single curriculum and a specific age bracket.
“It’s a unique age,” she said. “They’re just starting to find out who they are. They have more responsibilities and more freedoms. They’re testing the waters and taking their first steps in a more responsible world.”
She also views the school district’s smaller size as beneficial. It allows principals to have direct contact with administrators, which was more difficult in Philadelphia.
Despite the differences, children and parents are the same no matter where they live, “as long as you have kids who care, teachers who go that extra mile and parents who are committed to quality education,” she said.
While Nejman continues to feel her way through a new school in a new district, she says she treasures her experiences as a Philadelphia educator and wants to bring that knowledge to Elkins Park and Cheltenham.
“I’ve been lucky,” she said. “I’ve been really happy with where I’ve been and where I’m at.” ••
Reporter Elizabeth Stieber can be reached at 215-354-3036 or at estieber@phillynews.com