With the new school year in full swing, the students were not the only ones who experienced change. There were four specific teachers this year who were promoted to new positions! The Rampage staff sat down with Mr. Tarleton, Mrs. Orosz, Ms. Ho-Phan, and Mr. LeConte to acquire insight on the transition to a new role and ask about some of their new responsibilities. Read below to see their responses!

Mr. Tarleton (Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction)

Being a leader is nothing new to Mr. Tarleton, as he has been the supervisor of the Language Arts Department for quite some time. However, when asked about how he has adapted to his new position he replied, “As a whole, the students, teachers and staff have been very supportive in my new role and I am truly enjoying the new experiences.” As supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction, Mr. Tarleton seems very optimistic and delighted, saying, “The position will also give me the opportunity to support and lead other department supervisors and teachers through the ever increasing and ever changing demands made on educational professionals, whether handling behavioral issues, designing new curriculum or preparing students for college, the PARCC, the SAT or the ACT.” It is evident that Mr. Tarleton’s number one priority is making the district an even better learning environment. One of his main goals for the upcoming years is to “work together as a team with TJMS on what and how students are being taught, which will lead to a smoother transition for incoming ninth graders and better aligned instruction for all students.” As final words, Mr. Tarleton said that although there will be a lot on his plate, he is excited because his “heart will always be here at LHS”.

Mrs. Orosz (Lead Counselor)

“Service before self” is a motto in the guidance department, so when asked about what would be different for her as lead counselor, Mrs. Orosz simply replied, “I still have the same responsibilities I had as a guidance counselor. For example, I still have many students whom I am responsible for in terms of their social, emotional, and academic progress in school.” Despite the similarities, there are still many changes taking place under her new direction. “One of the main changes in Guidance is how students request appointments with their guidance counselors,” Mrs. Orosz shared. Through email instead of in person, the process has been expedited, greatly.  When asked about her outlook for the year, she said, “Our department strives to improve how we prepare students for college success each year.  We are always trying to come up with new ways to get students excited and informed about college.” Mrs. Orosz may have a new position in the school, but her interest remains in helping the students at LHS prosper.

Ms. Ho-Phan (Supervisor of Science Department)

Ms. Ho-Phan and her rolling cart have become nearly synonymous since she started teaching in 2007. Now, as supervisor of the Science Department, she finally has her own permanent room! However, that isn’t the only difference in her job now. When asked about her new responsibilities, she replied, “I am still teaching, which is my favorite part. Some of my other responsibilities include teacher observations, requisitions, providing support to teachers, organizing mole day, and monitoring the chemical supplies.” Despite the increased workload, Ms. Ho-Phan is up to task and seemed ecstatic saying,  “It’s nice to have a place to park my cart! Having a desk is sweet and a working computer is icing on the cake.” Clearly Ms. Ho-Phan is excited about her new office, but she seemed far more excited about continuing the great job that Mrs. Rozman previously did as supervisor of the Science Department. When asked if Mrs. Rozman left any message for her, Ms. Ho-Phan responded, “she told me good luck and to leave Schrodinger’s cat alone!” With Ms. Ho-Phan’s exuberance and optimism, it is clear that the Science Department remains in good hands!

Mr. LeConte (Supervisor of Special Education)

Lodi High School is a learning environment for all students. Mr. LeConte, new Supervisor of Special Education, prides himself in helping others. His new responsibilities include, “working closely with the Child Study Team to insure that each student’s IEP is being properly implemented throughout the year and overseeing the nine teachers within my department.” Furthermore, he told us, “I provide them with support and guidance throughout the year to help them develop into master teachers.” As supervisor, Mr. LeConte has already begun making changes. For example, he said, “Over the summer I went through all of the department policies.  I looked to see which ones needed to be improved upon and which ones were no longer effective.  Most of the policies were revamped to help improve teacher and student performance.” As for his outlook on the future, his spirits are high as he already set goals for the department. “My short term goal for the Special Education Department is to continue to align our curriculum with the general education curriculum in hopes to provide more challenging and meaningful educational experiences.  The long term goal is to collaborate with Mr. D’Amico and Mr. Tarleton to improve the PARCC scores in both Language Arts and Math.” Mr. LeConte hopes to continue to make Lodi High School a better learning environment for every single student.