“My students here at Sto-Rox are coming in just as bright, just as capable, just as curious and confident as any child in any district.”
That is the belief of Dr. Kimberly Price, the new principal of Sto-Rox Junior/Senior High School. Nearly one month into the role, Dr. Price spoke about how she is settling into the position, who she is, and what she hopes to accomplish.
One of her very first steps was an assessment. Test scores and behavioral data painted a picture, but conversations with students have given it definition.
“Getting to talk to our kids during the Summer Academy has been the other piece,” she explained. “‘What are you curious about? Why are you here? What do you expect?’ Looking for patterns in those conversations helps me think about what they think.”
At this stage, it’s all about understanding the students.
“I want our kids to move from compliant to being curious, and to start asking questions and then doing the work to invest in themselves, not just to complete a worksheet,” she said. “My main job right now is to figure out what the barriers are that are keeping them from getting to their potential.”
That mission is a familiar one for Dr. Price. In fact, her penchant for helping others learn led her to the Pittsburgh area. She grew up in New York and Florida, then taught in Texas after earning her bachelor’s degree in music education from Stetson University.
“I was really reticent to go to Pittsburgh,” she said. “Except Carnegie Mellon had recruited me as an undergrad, and I thought, ‘well, they have a really good cognitive psychology program, and I could learn about childhood development.’ So I moved here.”
Dr. Price earned her masters degree from CMU, then moved down the street to the University of Pittsburgh to obtain her doctorate. This process took nearly a decade. But Dr. Price is no stranger to mental or physical challenges. She’s a triathlete who is looking forward to competing in her first Ironman race. Her love of endurance sports started with cycling down in Texas. However, it was amplified by someone in need.
“I had a friend who had HIV and he was gone for a couple months,” she said “When we finally reconnected, I learned he had a bout with AIDS and he was in the hospital, and didn’t tell anyone. And so I was furious with him.”
He told Kim he was embarrassed. Her response?
“I thought, ‘well that’s just stupid.” She asked him how she could help, and he responded by telling her she could raise money. She rode more than 365 miles from Houston to Dallas to raise money for the fight against AIDS.
It was the first time Kim had ridden more than 20 miles.
Another ride in the recent past fueled Dr. Price for the journey ahead.
“I was riding across the McKees Rocks Bridge on a Sunday morning, just to try a new route,” she explained. “After I got across the bridge, the first thing I saw was a strip club. And I got off my bike and I just started crying. ‘Cause I’m thinking, ‘is this the first thing that our kids see when they get into the community?’ And the label of the violence, people making fun of us. Is this what kids see? It’s not fair, it’s not right.”
Dr. Price’s sense of justice and hunger for change are serving her and her staff, which include newly-hired assistant principals Mike Duca and Pam Clawson. As Dr. Price sees it, Sto-Rox also deserves a dedicated community.
“I really value our community investment in our kids here,” she said. “That was one of the biggest draws that I had to be here. Because if our community is invested in our kids, we can make this happen.”
Dr. Price wants that support to continue and expand, whether it’s apprenticeships, mock interviews or, simply, feedback on a job well done.
“I need my kids to see what they’re doing here is real life. The only way they’re going to see that is if they hear it from the community.”
That community includes parents. “I want the parents to know that I believe in their kids,” she said. “I really do want to partner with them, so the kid sees us on the same page.” As for those kids, Dr. Price wants them to be “fully equipped” to go out into the world and give back.
“They should be able to come out of here, and then reinvest in Sto-Rox and make this place a cycle that thrives.”
However, Dr. Price knows it’s a process that will take time, likely three to five years. That being said, her sense of urgency is not blunted. She’s setting expectations for everyone that will funnel into who these students will become.
“The more input I can get from parents, and the more partnership I can get from community members, the stronger our team is going to be for this school.”
She summed up her approach in a statement of selflessness.
“We as a whole community are smarter than I would ever be.”
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This is the final part of a three-part series on the new leadership team at Sto-Rox Jr./Sr. High School. Stay tuned for more features on district administrators, teachers, and staff as we head into the new school year!