College of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences Alumna Sarah Hamilla Appointed Principal of Glenwood Elementary School
Kentwood — Sarah Hamilla and several students gathered in front of a hallway bulletin board with the words “You Belong Here” on it.
It’s a matra repeated frequently in Kentwood Public Schools, and one that Hamilla feels the reality of since moving from Chicago to West Michigan in early summer and starting as the new Glenwood Elementary principal.
“It’s been really great getting to know the students, families and staff,” she said. “Everybody has been so welcoming and friendly, so that’s been nice. They say there’s a strong sense of belonging here, and I have been able to experience that.”
Indeed, it’s a time of new beginnings for Hamilla, and she’s excited one of them is to lead Glenwood.
SNN gets to know Hamilla better in this edition of Meet Your Administrator.
Other positions you have held in education: Hamilla spent much of her career working at a charter school district in Chicago in several positions including as a second-, third- and fourth-grade teacher, instructional coach, assistant principal and principal. She then worked for the Distinctive School Network, a Chicago-based non-profit, where she coached and mentored principals.
How about jobs outside education? “A lot of them were centered around kids: babysitting, camp counselor, nannying. Since I was in fourth grade I wanted to be a teacher, so I think from there everything has been kid-based to lead me on that path.”
Education and degrees: Hamilla has an elementary education degree from University of Iowa; a master’s in teacher leadership from Roosevelt University in Chicago; and an administration and supervision degree from National Louis University, Chicago
What drew you to this district/building? “The strategic plan that Kentwood has drew me. It’s very whole-child focused. Academics are so important, but so is ensuring that we meet the needs of the child social-emotionally.
“That community schools model also is really great. We had experience with it in Chicago, but it’s so well-rounded here. I’m really seeing it first hand, the partnerships we have in the community and the resources we have are helping our school grow.
And just to be a part of something that feels like it’s continuing to grow. It’s that destination school district … Our enrollment is growing, and being a part of that I think is really cool.”
Why did you want to become a principal in the first place? “What led me to it was being able to build strong relationships with students and families across the board — the entire school. I loved my little classroom bubble when I was a teacher, but knowing that I could expand and take my ideas to a broader lens and initiate change and improve academics and help more kids on that bigger level (led me to becoming a principal.)
“It’s very rewarding to know you are able to impact and have influence on many different students, families, community and staff.”
What would you like to share about your family? “I have a daughter who is a year-and-a-half old. It has been fun watching her grow up. … Now that we are in Michigan, she has cousins around and is able to experience different things, like the splash pads and playgrounds.
My husband (Jeff) and I just got married in June. We got married, moved and I ended my (previous) job all in the same week.”
Name three great things about K-12 education:
- It’s constantly evolving: “There are chances for teachers and myself to continue to grow in our practice. You never really feel like you’re done. … There are continual challenges, but there’s also continual ways to do things in the classroom to have the students grow academically.”
- The focus on social-emotional learning: “Back when I was in school and even when I was a teacher 20 years ago, that wasn’t a focus, and I feel like Kentwood schools and the schools I was part of in Chicago really focus on making sure you are taking the time to get to know students, relationship-build, go over routines and procedures, and then also teach them the skills to be successful that might not necessarily have to do with addition or subtraction.”
- Rigorous academics: “Post-COVID, we are back to the rigor of academics and grade-level standards. There was a period of time where people felt like students had to catch up, but I feel like we are in a place where we are getting back to … having that level of rigor and challenging students in the classroom. There’s just that flow again of what needs to happen.”
What ideas or strategies will you bring to Glenwood from your last position? “Personalized learning for students. That innovation was a big priority in my last district. That’s something I want to bring to Glenwood. That can take on many different forms, but one is getting to know your students and getting to know how they learn best. Then, that relationship-building can be part of how you teach them academically and really making sure we are meeting their different needs at different levels as well. Knowing each student and what they need to be successful — that’s huge for me.”
Another big thing is student ownership of their own learning – how can we create environments where there’s lots of student discourse in the classroom and students are facilitating their learning?”
What kind of student were you in elementary school? “I always wanted to be a teacher, so I was a little bit of a teacher’s pet. I worked really hard and wanted to do well in school, but I wasn’t the type of student where it just came easy for me. I had to really study and put the work in to see the results, but I was definitely driven to meet goals.”
What song would you pick to define you? “Starting Over” by Chris Stapleton. “It’s been what I have been experiencing with moving here and starting kind of a new life.”
What book, movie, TV show or podcast have you loved lately? “Abbot Elementary. It is a funny, lighthearted show. I like shows that you have some connections with but they also make things very extravagant.”
(For books), “Dare to Lead” by Brené Brown and “Radical Candor” by Kim Scott.
What notable person would you like to spend the day with? “Oprah Winfrey. She is able to connect with people and ask difficult questions. I want to pick her brain a little and know how she does it and makes people so comfortable.”
What is one thing on your bucket list? “I want to take a trip to like Australia and New Zealand, and travel more and experience things.”
Read more from Kentwood:
• He wants to set others up for success
• District marks full-circle moment, reopening elementary school
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