For Sara Bertelsen and Melanie Henderson, stepping into assistant principal roles this school year has meant taking on new responsibilities while continuing to do what drew them to education in the first place: building relationships and helping students grow.
Bertelsen is the new assistant principal at Geneseo High School, while Henderson has taken on the same role at Geneseo Middle School. Both are longtime educators who spent years in the classroom before moving into school administration.
Their paths to education have been different, but both say their experiences as teachers, instructional leaders and members of the Geneseo school community helped prepare them for their new roles.
Finding their way to education
For Henderson, the desire to become an educator began when she was a teenager.
“I knew in high school I wanted to be a teacher,” she said.
During her senior year, Henderson participated in a co-op program, attending high school for half the day and then working at Southwest Elementary in both the office and kindergarten classrooms.
She graduated from Illinois State University, got married and started a family. Henderson spent 16 years at home before gradually returning to education as a part-time parent coordinator for Ladders to Learning. She did that for a year, then spent a decade teaching fourth grade at Northside before moving to Geneseo Middle School, where she taught sixth grade for six years.
Bertelsen's path to education was less certain until after she arrived on the campus of Augustana College.
“I was working towards a biology degree, and wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do with it,” she explained. “But education was always very important in my home. My stepdad was an art teacher. My mom was president of the school board. My dad, before he passed away, was the president of the school board and on our educational foundation.”
By the time she graduated, Bertelsen’s desire to become an educator was clear. She started out at Alleman High School, where she spent 10 years teaching biology, physical science and other courses before spending a year at United Township. Bertelsen then came to Geneseo High School, where she spent another decade in the classroom teaching advanced studies biology and AP biology, and started the Project Lead the Way engineering course. Most recently, she’s served as an instructional coach in the last two years before stepping into her current role.
The importance of connections
For both educators, the most meaningful part of their careers has been the relationships they've built with students and colleagues.
“I don't know if there's one defining moment,” Bertelsen said. “But for me, education is about making connections with students, because that's who we're here to help shape and grow.”
Those connections can last long after a student leaves school. Bertelsen recalled being approached at a football game by a former student she taught during her first year at Alleman.
“He said, ‘I wanted to introduce you to my wife,’” she said. “He found me at a game just to say that and it meant a lot.”
Henderson also pointed to relationships as being impactful throughout her professional journey, but it was an experience early in her teaching career that broadened her perspective on education.
“I was pulled into the union side after teaching for a couple of years,” she recalled. “They wanted a non-tenured teacher on the negotiating team. They picked me because I had a non-traditional background and was a little older. That experience showed me another realm of education that I didn't realize was there.”
It introduced Henderson to decision-making and leadership, and helped shape her interest in having a voice in the larger educational system.
“I enjoy being part of decisions, and making sure everyone is being heard and seen,” she said.
Bertelsen said serving on district leadership teams, including the Teaching and Learning Team, provided a similar opportunity to see education from a broader perspective.
“Becoming part of those leadership teams in the district helps you to have a broader view of how things actually are happening and how those decisions are made,” she said.
Making the move into administration
Neither educator viewed administration as a way to get away from teaching. Instead, they saw it as an opportunity to expand their impact.
Bertelsen said she had considered administration for about 10 years but wasn't always sure her personality fit what she thought a school administrator was supposed to be.
“I didn't necessarily see that I could lead in a way that is comfortable and natural to me,” she said. “I'm a pretty laid-back person, but I am firm when I need to be.”
Her experiences in Geneseo changed that perception.
“I've had some really good examples in this district of leadership that have shown me that it doesn't have to be just one way,” Bertelsen said. “Spending two years as an instructional coach also opened my eyes a lot to what is happening in our building and it made me more aware of the opportunities that exist within this role.”
For Henderson, the move was about having an impact beyond her own classroom.
“I love teaching, but I wanted to go towards more of the leadership side,” she said. “I want to help teachers work through problems and see what systems we can improve. We are striving to have a school environment where teachers want to be here to work, and students want to be here to learn. Those are the things that made me realize I wanted to be a principal early on in my career.”
Above: Bertelsen and her husband, Andrew, have three children: Eleanor (senior), Daphne (sophomore) and Henry (3rd grade).
Adjusting to life outside the classroom
Both educators hope to bring a composed, collaborative approach to their positions.
“I would hope that others see me as present, consistent, and calm, and someone who is willing to do what needs to be done,” said Bertelsen.
Henderson emphasized listening and transparency, saying, “I think a great school leader is someone who listens first. You don't have to have every answer, but you need to be willing to listen to your staff, your students, and your families.”
More than a month into the school year, both Bertelsen and Henderson have quickly learned that life as an administrator is busy — and unpredictable.
“I think we would both agree that it's incredibly busy,” Bertelsen said. “No two days are the same and you never really know what to expect. But, I would rather be busy than to be sitting and not feeling like I'm making an impact.”
Henderson agreed that a less predictable schedule has come with a learning curve. As a teacher, she knew exactly where she would be throughout the day. Now, a planned meeting can quickly be replaced by a conversation with a parent or a student situation that needs attention.
“But, that’s the job. I want to be available when I’m needed and I appreciate being able to have that opportunity,” Henderson said.
At the middle school, Henderson's responsibilities focus heavily on students, including supervision and discipline. She handles morning and lunch supervision and also has responsibilities involving teacher evaluations, including drop-ins, formal evaluations and informal observations.
“Principal [Nathan] O’Dell and I are definitely a team,” she said. “We communicate, and we have a door connecting our offices, so we go back and forth a lot.”
At the high school, Bertelsen works alongside Jeremy Mosier, a fellow assistant principal, and Principal Tom Ryerson. Her responsibilities include discipline involving students with 504 Plans and Individualized Education Programs serving as the high school's 504 coordinator and leading the Multi-Tiered System of Supports program.
“I gather all the information for that and then bring the team together to discuss how we can support students,” Bertelsen said.
The administrative team meets daily to review what is happening in the building.
“We work really well together. We collaborate really well together,” she said. “Mr. Ryerson is always asking how he can be supportive and we sit down at least once a day, the three of us, and talk about what's going on.”
Above: Henderson and her husband, Eric, have five children who are all graduates of GHS – Hayley (Class of 2012), Madeline (2014), Lilly (2017), Heath (2018), and Faith (2021) – and five grandchildren.
Just getting started
For both educators, some of the most rewarding moments so far have come from simply being around students.
Henderson now gets to see students in settings she didn't experience as a classroom teacher.
“I saw them in the classroom for 47 minutes each day,” she said. “I knew how they were academically in math. I knew how they followed directions. But I didn’t know who their best friends or groups were.”
Now, she sees and engages with students in the hallways, at lunch, and at athletic events.
“Seeing the social aspects of students and being able to be there and develop a deeper, longer connection with them is why I'm in this role,” Henderson said.
Bertelsen said she also missed those informal connections while working as an instructional coach. Sometimes those interactions are as simple as a student giving her a daily review of the school lunch or asking her opinion about an outfit at a football game.
“I did miss that in the instructional coaching role,” she said. “I was not in the classroom as often as you are when you're a teacher. Being able to make those connections again is great.”
Looking toward the rest of the school year, Henderson hopes to strengthen the use of restorative discipline at the middle school.
“When you discipline someone, that's not the end of it,” Henderson explained. “There's follow-up. There's checking in. We're always helping students understand what happened, what's next, and what they can do to make things right. It’s about developing good humans to be productive in society.”
At the high school, Bertelsen wants to strengthen connections among staff and students.
“A goal of our admin team and our Building Leadership Team is to increase the cultural connections within our staff and students,” she said.
She also wants to strengthen the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) process through more frequent meetings and follow-up.
“We need to ask, ‘How is that student doing?’” Bertelsen said. “And if the student's not doing well, what can we do?”
For Bertelsen and Henderson, the move into administration represents a new chapter, but not a departure from the work they've always valued.
The titles and responsibilities have changed. The focus on those who occupy the high school and middle school’s classrooms has not.
“We both enjoy being with the students,” Henderson said. “It's exciting and rewarding to see them grow.”
