By: Maria Allard | Roseville-Eastpointe Eastsider | Published July 27, 2023
ROSEVILLE — More than 30 years ago, Joseph Trobaugh was a student attending Fountain Elementary School.
It was where he developed a love for social studies and made friends on the playground.
Now Trobaugh will again walk the halls of Fountain, not as a student, but as an administrator.
At the July 10 Roseville Community Schools Board of Education meeting, the school board voted 5-0 to appoint Trobaugh as the new Fountain principal. Board President Theresa Genest and Treasurer Matthew McCartney were absent.
Trobaugh’s official first day with the district will be Aug. 14.
“I’m looking forward to meeting everybody,” he said. “I love talking to people and getting to know who they are. I’m coming back to a place I value. It’s such a privilege to come back, give back and pay it forward.”
Trobaugh’s parents still reside in his childhood home, located just two blocks from Fountain. Since the appointment, Trobaugh has visited his alma mater.
“It brought a ton of memories back,” he said. “I remember lining up outside before school and talking to friends. I learned to play basketball in the gym through Parks and Recreation. It was a really fun time.”
He wants Fountain to be “a place kids want to come to.”
“Some of my goals are to build relationships and really support the teachers,” Trobaugh said. “With our political climate, I think teachers need support more than ever. When they feel valued and heard, they can do their jobs more effectively. That carries over to the students.”
Coming from Lakeview Public Schools, Trobaugh recently earned his doctorate with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.
“One of my goals is to bring awareness to that,” he said.
After speaking with district Superintendent Mark Blaszkowski, Trobaugh also wants to work on cutting down on absenteeism. The 1998 Roseville High School graduate has been in education for 18 years, including teaching fourth/fifth grade accelerated social studies and English language arts. Trobaugh, too, has been a summer school reading instructor and a tutor for Brainspring, a company specializing in teaching students with reading disabilities.
When Trobaugh learned about the principal position at Fountain, he applied. Something that motivated him was meeting with Blaszkowski while working on his doctorate. Trobaugh felt the superintendent’s ideas, values and vision aligned with his own. Trobaugh and Blaszkowski’s paths had crossed before; the superintendent was once his science teacher.
“The thought of coming back to my childhood school shaped a lot of things for me,” Trobaugh said. “It was a no-brainer. It was kind of meant to be.”
Growing up, the new administrator had a big brother vibe to him.
“I just remember the younger kids gravitated towards me,” Trobaugh said. “I always had a knack for being able to relate to kids.”
Other administrative changes announced
With the recent retirement of Patton Elementary School Principal Jeanne Williams, former Fountain Principal Brandon Komarowski is moving over to Patton as the new principal. Komarowski also will be the district’s English learners coordinator.
After several years as assistant principal at Roseville Middle School and Eastland Middle School, Brenda Baker will now be the principal at Dort Elementary School, replacing Mike Zimmer, who relocated to another district. Baker began working in the district as a Dort teacher.
Another change is occurring at the middle school level. Alexandra Ward, who teaches English language arts at both Eastland Middle School and Roseville Middle School, will now be the dean of students at EMS.
While in Roseville, Ward has served as an after-school tutor and a member of the Community and Culture Committee. She earned a bachelor’s degree in professional writing and English from Michigan State University, and an accelerated teacher certification from Saginaw Valley State University.
According to a district press release, Ward is on schedule to complete her master’s in educational leadership this August from Wayne State University. Her strengths include the ability to listen and to motivate others. She hopes to continue building the “fantastic” community at EMS by cultivating positive relationships with the community, parents and students.
“I care deeply for the students and am looking to help them succeed in life and learning,” Ward stated in the press release. “Creating a space where both teachers and students love to be is my goal as a school leader.”
Blaszkowski believes that Ward will be a great advocate for students.
“Ms. Ward understands the importance of listening to students to get to the root of the problem to help the families navigate issues,” Blaszkowski said in a prepared statement.
Joe Jelsone, who spent last year as the dean of students at EMS, will be moving to RMS to fill the assistant principal role.