Indian Hills school names new principal





After 19 years as assistant principal at Agoura High School, Jeanette Ober has accepted the principal post at Indian Hills High School, a continuation school in Calabasas for students who are at risk of not graduating.

Ober said she is looking forward to working with students on a more individual basis and hopes that she can help them to solve problems that have interfered with their education.

“It’s going to be very difficult to replace Jeanette,” Agoura High Principal Larry Misel said. “She did so many things-she’s extremely competent.”

Ober launched her career in education in Bellflower Unified School District teaching history, social studies and physical education.

Although Ober expects her new job at Indian Hills to pose challenges, she said she is getting back to her roots as an educator. She said she initially worked with students in a continuation school in Bellflower Unified.

Ober wants to help students at Indian Hills High move beyond meeting their credit requirements. She hopes to implement elements of the New Directions program that is changing the way teachers approach education at Agoura.

The idea behind New Directions is to infuse “rigor and relevance” into coursework with a shift from traditional book learning to problem solving.

As a leader in the new philosophy at Agoura High, Ober believes that the same kind of curriculum could transform Indian Hills. She also hopes to integrate a more standards-based curriculum at the school.

Ober believes that these changes will meet the changing expectations of parents and students. She said students expect classes to be more interactive and entertaining.

“Teachers had to make adjustments to reach the MTV and Internet crowd,” Ober said.

While putting teeth in the curriculum may not be more entertaining, students at Agoura High have attested that the new philosophy is more demanding-and engaging.

Students in Deborah Frank’s junior and senior English classes were recently challenged with researching and solving real problems facing the school district.

Ober said she wants to help students overcome the obstacles that interfered with their education in the first place. If they transcend the stumbling blocks of their past, Ober believes many of them can tackle new educational ideas and attend college. “I hope for higher education for (all) students, but we have to get them past their difficulties,” Ober said.

Plans are in the works at Las Virgenes Unified School District to create a separate alternative school and a learning center. Ober is excited to be on the ground floor of such a district-wide change.

“Any time there’s a change there is a challenge,” Ober said. “I want to develop (the alternative education curriculum) into something that will help a lot of students.”

“We’re happy that Jeanette’s been selected as principal of Indian Hills High School,” said Joe Nardo, assistant superintendent of education. “She’s been experienced with alternative education and will be

able to continue taking the vision of the school district on alternative education forward.”

“It will be a whole, big global approach” to education, Ober said, “big goals, one at a time.”


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