Meet Grosse Pointe North High School's Interim Principal

Despite the original plans to leave the principal position vacant for the coming school year, the district administration recommended and received approval Monday night for an interim principal.

Tom Tobe will begin his duties as the interim North High School principal early Tuesday. He replaces , who left the district this summer for a position at Detroit Country Day School.

Tobe is looking forward to learning more about North and serving the community, especially the seniors, he said Monday night after receiving the school board's approval in a 6-0 vote.

Board member Brendan Walsh was not in attendance due to an out of town business conference.

Tobe retired five years ago after 37 years in education. During that five years, he has served as an interim principal a few times. Most recently he worked as the interim principal at Lake Orion High School, he said.

Most of his career, he was a principal or assistant principal at the middle school or high school level. He began as a teacher and activities director in Livonia. He worked for long stretches both in Livonia and Troy school districts, he said.

Tobe said he's enjoyed working at the high school level the most during his career and is excited to meet the students of North.

He was interviewed by district administration as well as the three assistant principals of Grosse Pointe North High School, according to a press release by the district's spokeswoman, Rebecca Fannon.

The district is hiring him on a contract basis through EduStaff for one school year, and . The job posting is likely to go up in December, and then much of the process will follow in the spring.

after Bearden gave his notice, but Deputy Superintendent of Educational Services Jon Dean told the school board there was not a candidate that he felt was worthy of selection.

Superintendent Tom Harwood told the school board Monday that he was impressed with Tobe's background and that he will be a good fit for the position.

Tobe thanked the board after they approved him and said he is looking forward to serving the community well and making the school year special for students, especially for seniors.

Tobe lives in Farmington Hills. He has been married to his wife Janet Tobe for 42 years. They have two grown daughters and six granddaughters, he said.

He enjoys all sports as well as the arts. He and his wife have been active supporters of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and held season tickets to the Fisher Theater, he said.

One the most important parts of high school for students, he said, is for them to get involved in an acitivity—sports, arts or anything else. 

"It's not always the reading, writing and arithmetic that they remember from their high school years," Tobe said.