There are a lot of things at North Point we can be grateful for. Our friends, our teachers, our extracurricular activities. Those are the things that pop into our brains first, but then there are the things we don’t think about such as our bus drivers taking us to school or the building management staff that help keep North Point a clean environment. Another thing that we might not think if to be grateful for is our Administration.
The administration at North Point workday in and day out, to make this school a safe and positive environment to be in. We have a lot of administration that helps us, but the head of it all is Principal Daniel Kaple. Though we might not see it all the time, Mr. Kaple does a lot of things around the school and in the community to make sure that North Point is a place where everyone wants to be. That is the role of a principal after all.
We wanted to get more of an insight into the wonderful principal we have here, to highlight the impact he makes at this school. When interviewing him we learned that there is more to Mr. Kaple that meets the eye.
Farah Leblanc (reporter): “How did you become a principle and why?”
Mr. Kaple: “Well, I started off as a teacher, and taught for nine years until I became an assistant principal here at North Point. I was an assistant principal for 5 years, until the old principal retired, which I then applied to the job and got it.”
“As a teacher, I was able to impact 150 kids. As an assistant principal I could impact about 400 kids. 400 was a lot, but I wanted to help everyone, including teachers, students, and the surrounding community. As a principal, I am able to impact way more than just a few students, I can impact families.”
Leblanc: “What is one fun fact that makes you stand out?”
Kaple: “I don’t know if it is a fun fact, but I really enjoy live music. I have seen bands from Pearl Jam, to Outcast, to The Roots, to the Symphonic Orchestra.”
Leblanc: “Who is your hero or who are you grateful for?”
Kaple: “Well, I guess those are two different questions. The people most impactful in my life are my: family, Dr. Short; my principal at Lackey, Mr. Simms; the old principal at North Point, Crystal Benson; the court liaison at central office, and Kim McClarin; an assistant principal here when I was an assistant principal. I am grateful for the community here at North Point. If I’m having a bad day, I can walk into the hallway and see students enjoying themselves, and my energy changes.”
Leblanc: “What is your favorite thing about North Point?”
Kaple: “My favorite thing about North Point is the culture here. Everyone has something to add here and although a lot of people talk about the way North Point has changed through the years, I think we continue to improve.”
Farah: “What is one thing you contribute or want to contribute to North Point?”
Kaple: “My goal here is to make people feel like they belong. We always worry about how to make the atmosphere at North Point more positive, but I think if everyone here forms some kind of connection to and at North Point, then the negativity will dissipate on its own. Negativity is something that can be dealt with, what I really want if for everyone to feel included.”
We are here to highlight the reasons why we are grateful for our Mr. Kaple. What we tend to overlook is how much Mr. Kaple is grateful for us. The impact we have on Mr. Kaple’s life just further emphasizes the personal connection he feels to, not just the students that attend North Point, but the community as a whole, and that is what we are truly grateful for.
