Women Leading in Central MA: South High Principal Maureen Binienda
Monday, June 03, 2013
Worcester's "Angel of the Battlefield"--South High Principal Maureen Binienda.
First and foremost, she is responsible for exercising vision and providing leadership that appropriately involves staff, parents, students, business partners and community in the identification and accomplishment of the school's mission and goals. Binienda has been called the “Angel of the Battlefield” for the work that she does in Worcester’s poorest school district. She sits on four boards of directors and takes every opportunity she can find to expose her school to the community.
SW: You have been the principal of South High Community School for the past five years. What led you to that career path?
MB: I never had any plans to be a high school principal. I was an elementary school teacher of special needs for years. Proposition 2½ changed a lot of things in the school system and one of those was cutting the funding for my position. I headed to South High when it opened in 1978 and never looked back. I just fell in love with the place. Beginning as a teacher of special needs, and then a special education curriculum specialist, I became assistant principal and Dean of the Academy of Education, Service, and Government in 1994 and served in that position for 14 years. Each job taught me something important that I would use in my job as principal. I am a firm believer in the adage, “bloom where you are planted.” I just do everything I can to be successful in a job or place.
SW: I saw a statistic that in 2011, 10% of the children in Worcester were homeless and at South High the figure was 12%. Do those numbers still hold true? How are you able to assist homeless students with barriers to education such as hunger, poor health, absenteeism, etc.?
MB: That statistic is accurate and those are only the students that we have been able to identify. Homelessness can also encompass students who have lost homes due to foreclosure and are living with relatives or friends. In 2010 with the assistance of our partner, Family Health Center of Worcester, we opened a food pantry at the high school for students and their families. We also provide a full-service health center at the school and have created dental partnerships. We provide free eye exams and the Lion’s Club donates the eyeglasses. Andy’s Attic donates clothing to meet the needs of specific students. We also involve the community. I volunteer as an usher at Hanover Theater and all 300+ ushers are involved in donating goods to our food pantry.
SW: With an almost 70% low-income population, how do you deal with the impact poverty has on academic success?
MB: South High is one of the poorest schools in the Worcester Public School system. There is a lot of unemployment. A lot of our staff members take leadership roles in dealing with these issues, so it is a group effort. As I mentioned before we deal with their basic needs such as health, hunger, clothing, and eyeglasses. In addition, our teachers volunteer their time to stay after school to provide extra academic support. We have up to 120 kids at a time taking advantage of that. We also provide cultural and literacy opportunities in the community with the support of organizations like Hanover Theater. Anytime we can expose our kids to anything in the community, we do. 26 of our staff graduated from this school and we teach kids that education is the great equalizer. One former student even came back as assistant principal. That says so much to the kids they teach and demonstrates that there is no excuse to not move forward.
SW: Can you talk a little about students who have made an impact on you?
MB: We have students from 70 countries. Too often, their parents were killed in front of their eyes and they ran hundreds of miles to safety. Worcester is considered a safe city so kids are brought here to start a new life. They see America as the land of opportunity and the chance for a new life. The look of hope on their face is so powerful when they realize they will be given a free public education. We had a gal from Afghanistan who was not allowed to go to school in her country and yet she graduated number one in her class and went on to Boston College. If that isn’t a statement on the power of a public education, nothing is. It makes me realize how much we take for granted. Many of these kids are the first in their family to graduate from high school. Then they go on to top colleges. Their stories of hope and success are what drive me.
SW: How can the community help with your efforts?
MB: There are so many ways the community can step forward. They can ask for our kids if they have a job to offer. Get involved in classrooms. Tutor and speak at career day. Donate to our food pantry. Offer free medical services for kids. It would be so helpful for people to just speak positively about public education. It is making a difference in so many lives.
SW: Any advice for students considering education as a career path?
MB: I definitely think anyone considering a career in education should pursue it. We need good teachers and people who care about these children and the future of our country. It is a lot of work with little downtime but the rewards are huge. Just think of the thousands of kids that you affect as a teacher. As an educator, the future success of a whole generation is in your hands. The difference between kids making it or not making it happens in this school. Otherwise, where are they going without a diploma? An education can help to finally change the cycle of poverty.
With more than 25 years of leadership experience, Susan Wagner is the president of Susan Wagner PR and is known for driving events, initiatives, launches and openings specializing in the healthcare and not-for-profit organizations. Susan consults in the development and execution of a broad range of outreach programs, & public relations initiatives that effectively educate, inform, and build relationships with targeted stakeholder groups. In this challenging economy, she also offers affordable start-up packages for new and emerging businesses and organizations. A former journalist, Susan also offers professional writing services. Susan also sits on the board of Busting Breast Cancer, SafeSourcing and donates her time as the acting director for Songbird Sings.
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