A Milwaukee assistant principal who expanded her school鈥檚 career-pathway program and oversees student wellness and well-being is the 2023 National Assistant Principal of the Year.
Misa Sato has been an assistant principal at the 1,400-student Reagan High School since 2018.
She was one of three finalists for the award, which is given by the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
Mike Roemer, Reagan High School鈥檚 principal, called Sato 鈥渁 rock star.鈥� He and fellow assistant principal Kelly Carpenter cited Sato鈥檚 exceptional interpersonal, relationship-building, and listening skills, as well as her empathy, as hallmarks of her leadership.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e a principal, that鈥檚 the most important thing: your supporting cast,鈥� Roemer said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 a rock star. Do you know how lucky I am?鈥�
Roemer hired Sato as a science teacher about 10 years ago, wowed by her passion for students, high energy, and deep knowledge of chemistry and biology. He was also struck by her organizational skills鈥攁 trait that would later allow her to have a deep impact on the school鈥檚 instructional and support programs.
As a science teacher, Sato brought a fresh perspective to common unit planning in the science department, which then spread to other areas of the school, said Carpenter, who also taught science with Sato.
She built common planning time into the schedule, so that science teachers, for example, would have their release periods at the same time so they could collaborate on lessons, Carpenter said.
鈥淪he just has this way of bringing people together in terms of saying, 鈥榃hat about this? What about that?鈥� and seeking their feedback instead of charging forward,鈥� Carpenter said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 something that she still does today. It鈥檚 distributed leadership at its finest. 鈥楬ow can we bring this in? What are we missing?鈥� 鈥�
Sato鈥檚 portfolio as assistant principal runs the gamut. Among other things, she oversees the career-pathways element in the school鈥檚 International Baccalaureate program, leads equity efforts, manages freshman induction and orientation, and contributes to crisis planning, athletics, and school climate and culture. She also leads the school health team.
鈥淪he is in charge of programing鈥攊t鈥檚 the most important thing to having a well-run school,鈥� Roemer said.
During the pandemic shutdown, Sato was in charge of the school鈥檚 reopening plan. Like many schools across the country Reagan High School had an issue with student attendance. Sato was instrumental in helping to reach those students who weren鈥檛 attending school and connecting them with supports when they returned to campus, he said.
鈥淪he has a heart of gold, and really puts students first鈥攁nd not just their academics,鈥� Carpenter said. 鈥淗er primary focus is the mental health and well-being and the safety of our students. She truly cares about the students and wants to make sure that any decision we are making is in the best interests of students.鈥�
鈥淭here is not a kid, that if they are dealing with an issue, that she is not trying to find out how she can get those kids help,鈥� Roemer said.
Expanding career opportunities
Sato鈥檚 signature accomplishment may be in expanding the school鈥檚 career-pathways program. The school had found that about half of its juniors and seniors weren鈥檛 interested in participating in the IB diploma program and instead wanted to explore career opportunities.
She oversaw the addition of career opportunities, including in health care fields. That worked involved budgeting, organizing job fairs, and partnering with organizations and local businesses where students could gain working experience while in school and work after graduation. She also started a 鈥済row your own鈥� program to build a pipeline of future teachers, through a partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
She鈥檚 made it work, in part, through her exceptional organizational skills.
鈥淚t鈥檚 crazy how much she is organized,鈥� Roemer said.
Under her leadership, the career program has grown from about 15 to 155 students, and students are getting jobs right out of high school, Roemer said.
Despite the program鈥檚 growth, Sato still knows every child鈥檚 story, as well as what they hope to do after graduation, Roemer said.
鈥淢isa can tell you, for each and every one of those kids, what they want to do, what their ambitions are,鈥� he said. 鈥淪he has a background and story for each one of those kids. It鈥檚 amazing.鈥�
Sato, who is on maternity leave, has said she wants to be a principal, and she has ringing endorsements from both Carpenter and Roemer. Carpenter said she鈥檇 love to work with Sato as an assistant principal.
鈥淪he is going to make a fantastic principal,鈥� Roemer said.
