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October is National and Ohio Principals Month, a time to celebrate principals’ crucial role in the success of students and staff. Urbana City Schools is excited to recognize its three head principals this month: Melanie Anders of Urbana Elementary, Scott Blackburn of Urbana Junior High, and Nathan Sever of Urbana High School. Through a series of questions, our principals have shared insights into their leadership and incredible work to support their school communities daily.

Nathan Sever is the principal of Urbana High School, which serves students in the ninth through twelfth grades. Tony Grigsby is the Assistant Principal who supports Mr. Sever’s work.

What inspired you to pursue a career in education and eventually step into a leadership role?

Both of my parents were school superintendents so I grew up in a house where education was paramount. Watching them both be school leaders made a profound impact on my life, where I always knew I wanted to eventually be in education, more specifically becoming a principal. I would also be remiss if I did not mention one of my great friends and mentors, Mrs. Kris Mays. Kris was the principal when I came to UHS in 2018, and took me under her wing and helped guide me so much. Both she and my mom have shaped me into the principal I am today, and I would not have been in this position without the love and support of both of those ladies.

Are there any specific initiatives or programs you are excited about implementing?

Currently, we are exploring different ways to have students investigate potential career pathways in grades 9-12. Students are utilizing a program called YouScience where students take multiple assessments and the program calculates appropriate careers based on their aptitudes, interests, and assessment scores. We are then taking this to another level to work with the Champaign County business and having interested students participate in “Discovery Days” around the county to get a more in-depth understanding of all types of careers in our area.

We are also doing a wonderful job of adding more CCP (College Credit Plus) courses in the building to keep students at UHS rather than go online or to the University/College to participate in said course work. By the end of this year, we will have CCP courses in all departments which is exciting news.

How do you plan to foster a positive and inclusive school culture?

For the past 3 years and this year included, I have brought culture to the forefront of our building. It is my belief that relationships are vital in education and I want our staff and students to understand how vital relationships are. For the past 3 years I have installed the foundational building blocks in becoming elite: Tough Love, You Win with People, and The Chase.

Tough Love is a motto that was created for UHS to improve relationships and our building culture. Tough Love means that we are going to love the heck out of the students while they are

here in the building. We recognize that we see students more than our families and vice versa, so while they are here, we want to build lasting and meaningful relationships until they walk down the hill and across that stage at graduation. Tough Love is a two-way street; however, we will be here for the students every step of the way, and all we ask is that the students come to school prepared, are patient, flexible, respectful, and kind to the teachers, staff, and their fellow classmates.

Win With People – We want students to be elite. In order to get there, they will have to do special things, have special focus, have special passion, intensity, commitment/drive to do the things at a high level all the time.We want students to know that they must build a strong network of people around them in order to achieve elite accomplishments.

The Chase is all about running down your dreams and aspirations. It could be for this year, or you could be chasing an accolade/accomplishment that is a few years away. The road to success is always paved with consistent hard work. Outwork your competitors, be authentic, and above all else, chase your greatness! UHS is chasing to be the best in Champaign County, what are you chasing?

Can you describe a recent example of how the school has collaborated with local organizations or community members?

For the past two years, our PBIS staff committees have organized our Senior Service Day where all seniors from UHS are split into several groups to work on various projects around our community. This is a tradition that has really taken off and that I am so very proud of. Watching our young people give back to our community is really something special!

How do you balance your professional responsibilities with personal interests and family life?

If I am being completely honest in answering this, I am terrible at balancing my professional and personal life. You could ask any of my loved ones and family members that it is something I continue to work on and be better at, but the way that I am wired, I am a principal 24/7. It probably should not be that way, but I am committed to this profession, this school, these students, this staff, and this community, so anything less than 100% is a disservice to those people. I am trying to get better at this, but it is very difficult to turn the school switch off.

We are incredibly fortunate to have Mr. Nathan Sever serving as the principal of Urbana High School, and we greatly appreciate his leadership and dedication. For the complete article featuring questions and responses from Mr. Nathan Sever, please visit the Urbana City Schools website at www.urbanacityschools.org.

This article wraps up our October spotlight on the head principals of Urbana City Schools. As National and Ohio Principals Month comes to a close, we encourage you to take a moment to thank your school’s principals for their hard work and commitment throughout the year.

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Interview by Dr. Julie Willoughby, with responses from Mr. Nathan Sever. Introduction and conclusion written by Dr. Julie Willoughby.

Information from Urbana City Schools