Josh Rosenbloom, the new Reed High School principal, was busy on the first day of school, roaming the hallways, greeting students and providing directions.
Reed High School last week hosted a barbecue for its faculty to kick off the new school year. Josh Rosenbloom, the new principal, was flipping chicken on the grill. One of his colleagues cornered him and said: “Are these ‘other duties’ you have on the side?” Rosenbloom chuckled and later said in an interview, “Every educator at this school has more things to do in a day than there is time. It’s all about making sure that you prioritize and get everything done.”
But for Rosenbloom, changing roles and juggling curricular activities is nothing new. In fact, it’s a tradition.
While he was growing up in Douglas County near Gardnerville, his parents taught school. His dad retired as principal at Douglas High School in 2000.
The younger Rosenbloom also began teaching high school in Douglas County about 17 years ago. His career then took him to Wooster High School in Reno from 2001 to 2013. He taught Spanish and later became assistant principal.
In 2013, the Washoe Inspire Academy, an alternative school in Reno, appointed him principal. He soon steered toward becoming principal of a comprehensive zoned high school. On July 1 he replaced Mary Vesco, who served as Reed High School’s principal for 15 years.
“Leaving the classroom was a tough decision,” he said. “Teachers have the biggest impact on students because they work so closely with students.”
But as Rosenbloom pursued more administrative roles he discovered that he could still impact students.
“As a principal I may not have the same direct contact as a teacher,” he said. “But I can still help and impact students because now I’m helping to align the needs of the students, teachers and educators.”
On a typical day at school, Rosenbloom chats with students and coaches, throws feedback to teachers, and mingles with campus leaders and administrators to help create and improve a wide range of school functions and activities.
Rosenbloom believes that being accessible to the community is vital as a high school principal. He plans to take on bigger roles by connecting more with parents through “Principal for a Day” programs.
“I have to be very visible with the students’ parents because they need to know that they’re important with their support as part of the whole school community,” he said.
Rosenbloom added that there is far more accountability as a principal today than there was 20 years ago when his dad worked in the profession. But that’s good, he said, because it helps teachers and administrators strive to become better. In fact, he’s even listed a few short-term goals as the new principal.
He said he’d like to see a 90 percent graduation rate along with better scores in college entrance exams. He’d also like to see a boost in student extracurricular activities such as student leadership, signature academy and other school social programs.
For now, Rosenbloom said he’s proud to fulfill his new role at Reed High School.
“There are a lot of Reed graduates who are now teachers, and they have a lot of passion for what they do. Reed is also very diverse, and I like that there is a deep-rooted community in Sparks.”