BY GINNY PRIVITAR
The new principal is a hit in more ways than one.
Steven Deo (pronounced ‘Day-oh’) became principal of Upper Greenwood Lake Elementary School this September and brings dedication and a sense of fun to a job he obviously loves.
The students enjoy him for his humor and his music. He plays guitar, bass, piano and drums and describes himself as a one-man band. He’s even played guitar at assemblies.
“It’s a lot of fun,” he said. “The best part of this job is I can get to be myself; if I have a love of music, I can get to share that with the kids and integrate it in our culture.”
Deo also writes songs with a “rock or blues feel to them” for commercials for Omni music.
Deo’s love of music started early in elementary school and band, and sitting next to his dad, who was a church organist, while he played. He said, jokingly, “It changed my life when he told me I was too old and had to sit with everyone else.”
His interest in education also began early. After a study abroad program in anthropological history in England, the musically-talented Deo returned home and says he “traded one stage for a better one – the classroom. I was fortunate to still have a career in music by being able to write songs; I have the best of both worlds.”
Deo has taught third grade, middle school, high school (history) and college (a diversity class). He was previously a vice-principal in Cherry Hill and Wood-Ridge.
As a principal, Deo said, “The biggest challenge is responding to the immediate requirements of the job (paperwork and meetings) while still being a physical presence in the school. I still want to get into the classrooms and caféteria. There are 300 children and 50-plus adults who want your attention and you want to give it to them.”
When he’s in a classroom, he’ll often tell the students to have a “good De-o” and they’ll respond back by singing lines from the Harry Belafonte song. “If you’re not having fun, what are you having?” he asked.
“I get to be me. I get to smile,” he said. “I can’t high-five them anymore (caught too many colds); I give them my elbow. You can’t imagine what it’s like to have 50 kids line up from lunch to give me their elbows. The kids think it’s wacky and cool.”
Principal Deo is also a serious, committed, hands-on educator, who received a master’s degree in teaching at Fairleigh Dickenson University and a second masters in administration at Kean University.
His day starts at 8:20 a.m., when he greets the students; afterward he tries to visit as many classrooms as possible. He’ll also talk with caféteria and maintenance workers.
“I want to interact; to be out and about; to be supervising while walking,” he said. From 3 to 7 p.m. he does administrative paperwork.
A key element of his leadership is the conviction that “everyone has a vested interest in our school.” Teacher committees share the leadership of the school, he said. “Everybody has a voice and I see a lot more teacher buy-ins because it’s a collaborative approach.”
UGL Elementary School was recognized as a “2015 New Jersey School of Character.”
“For me, one of the big things is following up on character education; teaching the core values,” Deo said.
“It’s one thing to go through the motions; it’s another to be adaptive.” Deo believes in teaching by example. “For example,” he said, “today a student came into the main office and said, 'I need 10 copies.' Deo, who was standing there, gently gave him a better example of how to talk to people more respectfully: he said, “Wait, wait a minute, say, ‘Hi, Good morning. How was your Thanksgiving?’” He then told the student to go out and come back in and try it again. Teaching through example is important, he said. All teachers should recognize themselves as role models and take the responsibility seriously, including attention to how they portray themselves on social media, where students browse.
Deo is a man of thought and reflection.
“I think the art of teaching centers in reflection. So if you’re a good teacher, you reflect on your practice daily,” Deo said.
“The job of principal 10 years ago was different from today; now we’re supervisors in addition to administrators.”
Paperwork can be extensive, but Deo says he’s one of those people who enjoys crossing things off their to-do lists. He tries to limit administrative work to after the school day ends, and says if he leaves before 7 p.m., it’s an early day.
Deo also credits UGL's former Principal Daniel Novak.
“My predecessor was very successful here and I always celebrate his success. I walked in to a well-managed school and inherited a great staff.”
The best part of his job? “There’s no greater satisfaction than seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces and having meaningful dialog about teaching and learning with professional staff.”
He does have a wish for the general public.
“I wish people would respect teaching more. All our teachers love kids and have a vested interest in seeing them be successful — at least the folks I’m working with.”
Principal Deo not only enjoys sharing music; he also shared one of his favorite recipes with us.