Starting this year, Mrs. Meredith Julius has been hired as the new vice principal here at BHS. She is no stranger to the school, having been our trusted school psychologist for years. As a school psychologist, her job revolved around helping students navigate their problems. Now that she is vice principal, she is still helping students, but she is also in charge of school organization and creating goals to develop a safe and educational environment for BHS. I sat down with Mrs. Julius to see what exactly her new role as vice principal entails.
Q: What’s the greatest challenge you have overcome in your career so far?
A: Finding a work/life balance. I greatly value doing my best and helping others as much as possible when I am at work. It’s also important to me that I find time to do activities that I love and be with my family and friends. There is always work that can be done at all hours of the day. It can be a challenge to unplug from my laptop and phone.
Q:What has been your favorite part about being vice principal?
A:Everyday is different! I love that no two days look alike and that I get to interact with many students and staff. It’s an exciting job where I am constantly learning new things and growing as a person.
Q:What made you want to come work at Berkley in the first place?
A:This is actually my seventh school year with Berkley Schools. In graduate school, I completed an internship with Berkley and knew that this was the district for me. Berkley is such a caring and inclusive community where we value not only the academic achievement of each student but also their social and emotional well-being.
Q:What advice do you have for students at Berkley?
A:Be kind to yourself. From my own experiences in high school and from talking to students, we can be very hard on ourselves sometimes. I try to remind students (and myself) that it’s okay to make mistakes. This is how we grow and learn.
Q:What is the most difficult part of your job?
A:Trying to get everything done each day! There are always many things to attend to. It’s important to do what you can and know you have done your best. Tomorrow is a new day.
Q:What do you believe are the most important qualities and skills in a vice principal?
A:I think it is important to be a good listener and empathetic. I’m not always going to be able to solve every problem, but I can help support through them. It’s also important to help build a positive school culture and strong relationships. Assistant principals need to value coaching/feedback to support not only their own growth but also the growth of others.
Q:What was your past experience before working here?
A:Prior to this role, I was a school psychologist for 8 years. I loved being a school psychologist and found that my experiences in that job really helped prepare me for the role of an assistant principal.
Q:What do you want students to know about you?
A:Please don’t automatically think you are in trouble if you get called to my office! I’m noticing that many students associate the assistant principal’s office with doing something wrong. Sometimes I just like to check in or see how I can help support. My goal is to help students be successful at BHS.
Q:Why do you want to be a vice principal? Have you always wanted to be?
A:I want to be an assistant principal because I truly care about the students and staff at Berkley High School. I did not think about being an assistant principal until someone told me I would be good at it! You never know how an encouraging word may have a tremendous impact on someone.
Q:When you were a sophomore in high school what did you want to be when you were older?
A:Believe it or not, I really did want to be a psychologist as a sophomore in high school. I loved to read psychology books and even attended psychology camp lol.
Q:What advice about choosing a future career do you have for the students here?
A:It’s okay if you don’t know what you want to do right away. When I was in college, I knew I loved psychology but did not consider working in a school at that time. It wasn’t until after undergrad that I met a fellow school psychologist at a Tiger’s game who encouraged me to apply to graduate school. Your path may change and I encourage students to be open to changes that may deviate from the original plan.
