U-Hi, CV principal working together for schools’ success

Competition has always been fierce between Central Valley High School and University High School.

Though the two buildings in the Central Valley School District are identical now, the rivalry still lingers.

Is one better than the other? Does one have something that the other doesn’t?

The competitiveness could be easing this year.

Daryl Hart, the new principal at U-Hi, and CV Principal Mike Hittle are starting a new trend: They are talking to each other.

Hart, who started this fall, said he is committed to working with Hittle, who is starting his third year at Central Valley.

“We need to work together to collaborate for the success of all of the district’s students,” Hart said.

Ditto for Hittle.

“It’s nice to have a colleague that you can talk to on the same level,” Hittle said. “His perspective makes a big difference.”

The two principals have met for lunch, had dinner, and found a personal and professional connection that drives them both to do better. Plus, they seem to share the same approach.

Hittle sat on the interview panel that hired Hart last year.

During his interview, Hart talked about a method he used as a principal at Monroe (Wash.) High School to get staff energized for the Washington Assessment of Student Learning.

Hart recounted how he had used a movie clip from “Apollo 13,” where an engineer dumps a box of items on the table.

His theme: “Failure is not an option.”

“I told my staff the same thing the engineers told the astronauts in the movie, ‘Let’s not focus on what we don’t have, but what we do have,’ ” Hart said.

When Hart said this during the interview, Hittle said he sat in disbelief.

“I was thinking of the same thing before he even answered. I was thinking of using (the movie clip) here, but hadn’t gotten to it,” Hittle said. “After he left I remember saying, ‘How uncanny is that?’ “

Over the summer, principals from the entire district pulled together under the direction of Superintendent Mike Pearson, charged with preparing a presentation entitled the “Nine Characteristics of Highly Performing Schools” for the school board.

The nine characteristics were those set forth by the Washington State Office the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

According to the OSPI, research has found that high-performing schools have a number of common characteristics. Those characteristics should be used in school improvement planning in districts throughout the state.

The administrative teams at Central Valley came up with up objectives for each of the nine characteristics, and identified indicators to show what the Central Valley schools are doing to meet those objectives.

One of the characteristics includes high levels of collaboration and communication between the schools.

“We’re more involved with each other through that process,” Hittle said. “It forces collaboration because all the buildings are going to be talking.”

One of the goals would be to build a seamless curriculum that flows with the students throughout their education with the district — kindergarten through high school.

The two high schools have already agreed on a single format for the syllabus for core courses at each of the schools. While the teaching methods would vary, the format for instruction would stay the same.

“The board couldn’t believe we had done that already,” Hart said.

The big question is whether Hittle and Hart tackle the ultimate boundary, and be seen together at CV versus U-Hi sporting events.

“Oh, I’ll probably be on my side and he’ll probably be on his,” Hart joked.

Some things never change.