WARREN, Mich. - Although Christopher Dean, De La Salle Collegiate Class of 1989, has been the Academic Assistant Principal for the past few years, he now has added duties to his role. His responsibilities, however, are not new territory.

Dean served as Assistant Principal for Student Life between 2004-17 before he moved into the academic role in 2017.

As Assistant Principal, he handles attendance, lockers, and student behavior, and oversees all student activities outside of athletics.

Dean works closely with counselors to make sure student schedules reflect classroom limitations on the number of people in a classroom. Last August, he measured rooms to ensure that desks were placed appropriately to meet social distancing guidelines. 

“It’s challenging, but we are all stepping up this year to make face to face learning work,” Dean said. “This total team effort, from faculty, staff, students, and parents, is helping to make things normal.” 

He is working with Principal Brother Ken Kalinowski to figure out the best way to handle several traditional fall events, such as Spirit Week and Parent-Teacher conferences. Dean also oversees all academic departments, as well as counseling, academic support, and the International Baccalaureate program, in addition to his duties as Advanced Placement coordinator.

“Brother Ken calls this year Faith-Filled Flexibility,” Dean said. “And that’s exactly what this unusual time in 2020 calls for. We’re doing what we can to have the school schedule and our curriculum reflect ‘normal’ as much as possible, and deliver a quality academic experience.”