This year, St. Charles East welcomed Nicole Osborne as the new Dean of Students for students A-Ham, as well as the first female dean since 1998.
Osborne has vast experience in the education field, being an English teacher for 20 years with experience teaching all grades, AP courses and English Learners. She graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a minor in Spanish and two master’s degrees in bicultural education and educational leadership and is currently working towards finishing her doctorate in curriculum studies.
After working as an assistant principal at a small high school, Osborne said that she saw STCE as an opportunity to return to the suburbs. With previous experience working in West Chicago, she enjoyed the diversity in the area and enjoyed the size and connection to STCE.
So far, Osborne said she’s only had positive experiences at East. She’s had to adapt to a few differences from her previous job such as working with multiple other deans and getting used to the building, but the main difference she highlighted was how much student involvement and leadership East has.
“You guys are very much more devoted to, ‘What do we want to lead?’” she said. “Something that I really want to make happen is continuing to [support that] student leadership.”
Osborne also talked about the importance of being clear and transparent about why students come into the dean’s office and allowing them to fully understand the consequences they receive. To do so, she said that it’s up to them to model the behavior they want to see in students.
“[We need to] make sure that we model all the things that we hope to achieve with students,” she said. “It’s really important to be clear about what we expect and what we hope to achieve.”
Osborne also advocated for the establishment of a student disciplinary committee to gather student input on the decisions that deans make. It would help deans understand student values and what students think are appropriate consequences for actions such as parking in the wrong spot or being late to class.
“What does it mean when [you’re] late? What do [you] value here as students, and how can we incorporate your voice into the dean’s office?” Osborne said. “If we’re going to make it something that we value, we need to make sure that you also see it as a value.”
Something else Osborne said she’d like to implement is further SEL resources to improve student support and mental health, perhaps using the help of student leaders. “You can only do as well as your cup is full,” she said. “If we’re struggling in different places, it’s really hard to be successful academically if there’s other things going on.” During the pandemic, Osborne implemented online SEL and wants to continue that focus in a post-COVID world.
Regarding her position as a female dean, Osborne acknowledged that female leadership is a harder barrier to cross, even in the education field. However, she takes pride in her position not necessarily because she’s a woman, saying, “My voice might be a female’s voice, but does that matter? Or is it about my ideas?”
Nevertheless, Osborne emphasized how she can inspire other young women to pursue leadership in their futures. “[I can] show young women that [they] can take that step and make something happen,” she said. “I have this voice, and I’m championing other young women who are hoping to be leaders someday.”
Osborne’s main goal for the year is improving student attendance and timeliness, emphasizing the importance of student and teacher interaction as well as the built-in community that it can create. Overall, she said that she’s excited to be here at East and is looking forward to what the future has in store for her.
