Who is the new dean at Prairie High School? You ask, well let me introduce you to Mr Suksdorf or Mr Sooks, he stepped into the role November 12th after the old dean had left prairie. While getting to know Mr. Sooks I’ve realized that he is very student forward, and he wants every student to know that you’re able to rely on him as a trusted adult. His center approach is to build a strong bond with not just students, but also with staff.
He believes that “everything starts with a relationship” and that you just have to slow down, listen, and let the students open up. He wants every student to have the feeling of belonging, support, and trust. He believes that every kid should have at least one person that is there for them. He hopes that he creates a calm, safe environment where the students feel free to be themselves. Before coming to prairie high school, Mr Suksdorf worked as a special education teacher, and he was inspired by his mom who had disabilities. That made him always want to try and help others and make a difference.
He shared that his life experiences taught him he should slow down, stay calm, and understand people who might have tough times. His background shaped him today to interact with students, saying he approaches situations differently than most. His goal for being the dean is to bring people together, support students’ mental health, and show them they have somewhere they belong. He values teamwork among staff and believes in having “no wrong doors” meaning that students should always feel welcome and able to have a trusted adult to be able to trust adults.
Mr Root, a staff member who works at Prairie states “I’m very excited about him to be the new dean” and also states “he is very student forward and always involved with students, but also able to keep them accountable” Mr. Suksdorf, who previously served as an associate principal, mentioned that he doesn’t regret taking on being the dean but actually is very passionate about supporting both students and the staff. He hopes that students will open up to them even those who seem like a “tough cookie” at first.
Overall Mr Sooks, is a very passionate adult who wants to make sure that students and even staff know they can go and are able to talk to him. He hopes to be able to build strong relationships letting everyone know that they have a place that they belong and supported through time at prairie high school. By doing that he usings the three Rs – relationship, make a bond let them talk and just listen, relevance you make them want to build and teach its importance he explains while doing this sometimes they breaks their walls down you than start talking about what they did wrong, the last R rigor “ and the way i look at that is once our relationship is built, we start having a real conversation” Mr Sooks has mentioned.
