Principal Stephanie Posey said she will implement potential changes only after she has become acclimated to Naperville North and its traditions.

Posey addressed the cell phone policy, senior traditions and student expression in an interview with The North Star editorial board on Thursday, March 12.

“Nothing here is really broken, and I don’t intend to come in and fix anything,” Posey said. “What I do intend to do is to take my time to learn the culture and the climate of the school.”

Posey said she plans to continue traditions, such as the seniors’ first day of school, as long as participants remain respectful. She will not punish a group because of the poor decisions of a few.

“In a population of 600 or 700 seniors, you are going to have a few who want to step over the line and see how far they can push,” Posey said. “I will directly deal with those people if they cannot be respectful. I certainly don’t believe in closing something down just because some people want to be silly.”

If students have concerns, they can see Posey in her new office. She maintains an open door policy, and she plans to make herself visible around the school.

“I like to talk to the students so I can hear the good, bad and ugly of what’s going on,” Posey said. “My expectations are very high, but I am also very approachable. Kids feel like they can come and talk to me about the issues in the school.”

As the first female principal, Posey also sets high expectations for herself. When she attends meetings with other high school principals, she often finds herself as the only female.

“Sometimes, it’s hard to convince people that I know a little bit about athletics or a little bit about things that are typically male dominated,” Posey said. “But I find that people no longer have a bias towards that. They respect me and expect the same things from me, no differently than they would from my male counterparts.”

During the conservation, Posey addressed NNHS’ cell phone policy. She upholds a similar policy at Belleville East High School (BEHS) where students may use their phones only before school or during their lunch period. Posey said cell phones should be limited within an academic environment.

“I don’t believe that cell phones have a huge use in the classroom unless directly under supervision of a teacher,” Posey said. “You get into equity issues when you’re talking about using it as an educational device.”

However, Posey supports District 203’s one-to-one initiative within the classroom. While she is concerned with the security of the devices, she said that the initiative is a step in the right direction.

“I think with your generation, that’s the way you learn,” Posey said. “We need to recognize that and make it part of a curriculum so we are part of the 21^st century.”

Likewise, Posey also supports The North Star’s transition to an online-only publication. She said that an online publication gives student journalists a more realistic look at today’s changing media.

At BEHS, Posey exercised prior review of the school’s printed student publication. She said that she maintained an open relationship with the newspaper’s staff. Posey checked the publication’s subject matter and grammar.

“They know what my feelings are, and they know what topics might be an issue for the school, the district and the superintendent’s office,” Posey said. “We want to make sure that the community members won’t have a negative impact on their views of us or of high school students. There’s a really fine line, but I also believe in the freedom of expression.”

According to Posey, NNHS’ history of excellence prompted her to accept her position as principal.

“When I first came to visit Naperville, one of the things that struck me was the pride in the building. Students seem very proud and very happy to be part of the Huskie family,” Posey said. “You can tell when there is a strong family value atmosphere, and kids take care of one another and are proud to be a part of their high school.”