Why Are We the Pegasi? An Interview with Ms. Vandervliet

Recently Mrs. Vandervliet left the position of IB coordinator to take the job of Assistant Principal. We thank her for agreeing to an interview.

Mrs. Vandervliet grew up in Grand Rapids and went to Northview High School. From a young age, she knew she wanted to go into education. She went to three different colleges, earning a masters in IB. Now she is a mom of three and plays slow pitch softball. Her favorite book is The Catcher In The Rye.

We asked about her switch from IB coordinator to Assistant Principal, and the differences between the two positions. Being an IB coordinator is focused almost entirely on the implementation of IB. This means working with teachers and administrators as well as the organization of IB. The role of Assistant Principal at City also involves IB, but also rules and regulations, and making sure the school is safe and supportive. She gets to focus on helping students thrive. Mrs. Vandervliet finds her new job to be more holistic and her favorite part of it is relationships with students.

When asked about her likes and dislikes of working at City, Mrs. Vandervliet responded that she likes the culture of City, as well as the diverse student population. She wants to help to maintain the positive culture. She also likes the new technology and lockers, however she dislikes how long the renovations are lasting. One thing she doesn’t like about the education system is how competitive schools and districts are. She wishes they would work together to raise up all students.

During the interview, we also discovered the reason why City’s mascot is the pegasus. When she started working at City, Mrs. Vandervliet taught English. At this point, the school was not IB, and instead humanities based. Greek mythology was a large focus, especially in ninth grade English class, where it was studied for the whole year. Many of us have wondered why the City’s mascot is a pegasus. Many of us have wondered why the City mascot is a pegasus. Mrs. Vandervliet explained that the pegasus was chosen because of the focus on Greek mythology.

If there is anyone else you would like us to interview in the future, let us know in the comments!

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