Mark Thomas, a former Michigan high school principal, is now the associate principal of operations under Steve Parnther. Thomas came out of retirement after serving as principal at Northview High School and as a Michigan educator for 40 years to join to Niles West.
He made this change because of Superintendent Tom Moore‘s praise for Niles West and its diversity. Thomas defines his own role at Niles West as a facilitator to allow those around him to do their own jobs more effectively.
“[I] do deals with facilities management and operations and making sure, when evacuation procedures or testing procedures or building usage or [purchase order] requests, or oversight of groups, we all share different things. At the end of the day, it’s a lot of making sure that you try to keep the pathways clear and light the way so people don’t hit obstacles, whether it be students or staff, so things can move well,” Thomas said.
Thomas’ inspiration as an administrator is drawn from the students, as they encourage him to keep going.
“I truly get excited about being around students, and I truly have great respect for teachers who do the work, but at the end of the day, you guys are the future, and you bring a lot of enthusiasm, you bring a lot of energy, and to me, that’s just really invigorating and motivating,” Thomas said.
A change in diversity has been a large part of Thomas’ transition to Niles West. Coming from Northview High School in Michigan to Skokie, Illinois, Thomas welcomes the vast array of cultures.
“I just think the staff and the students and the families have been so welcoming, and I love the tremendous ethnic diversity. You know, this is not something you see in West Michigan the same way. I probably had 37% to 35% in diversity in my school, mostly African American, but here it’s such a melting pot and so many different backgrounds, and I’m learning that Niles welcomes all, and it’s kind of specific to the school and the community,” Thomas said.
Parnther describes the relationship he and Thomas have and how they share experiences to enrich their impact on the school.
“…I see myself as a mentor to him, he sees himself as a mentor to me… I make sure that he understands certain things that would be new to him. But also because of his experience, he’s able to add his own flair, so to speak, to different things because he’s able to be like, ‘oh, you know what?’ I’ve done this in my past years where I’ve seen this a little bit,” Parnther said.
JaKaurie Kirkland, a former Northview High School student who played football under Thomas, explained the impact that Thomas has had on him and his school.
“He took me to football camps, lunch at his house, and charitable events. Invested a lot into my future growing up in high school. He was there with me when I received my first full-ride scholarship to play college football. Mr. Thomas – he cares for students beyond high school. He wants to see us all succeed in every aspect of our lives. His passion is unmatched. Very driven to make a change in our lives. Plenty of students I know felt Mr. Thomas invested in them,” Kirkland said.
