Meet the Assistant Principal
Jelly belly good
Mary-Jo Kooiker has to work to keep the jelly bean dispenser in her office full. Students who bring tests with perfect scores to her office are given a penny, which they feed into the machine for a sweet treat.
Jefferson has a lot of good students. Even limiting students to one penny per marking period, Kooiker is hard-pressed to keep the dispenser stocked.
“It’s nice getting students in my office for a little praise for a job well’
She says it’s her favorite way to decorate.
Busy days
Truth be told, Kooiker is seldom in her office. She’s usually out and about Jefferson’s upper elementary and 6/7 wing, supervising lunch periods, attending to student needs, and many other duties.
She also helps parents understand the social and emotional changes that accompany the physical changes that occur as their child grows.
“It’s a job I love,” said Kooiker, who joined Holland Public Schools 29 years ago as an elementary special education teacher. She became a school administrator so she could work with more students and teachers.
Voracious reader
Kooiker is an avid reader who often devours four books a week in the summers.
“Actually,” Kooiker confides, “I can’t sit still unless I have a book in my lap.”
She’s read a lot of literature classics over the years, but Kooiker says she now enjoys romance novels most, to the chagrin of her teen-age daughter.
Kooiker and her husband, Don, also belong to a gourmet cooking club in which couples combine to create dinners that expand their culinary skills. She especially loves to bake.
The Kooiker's older daughter has graduated from college and works in Virginia.
You can contact Mary-Jo by phone at 494-2515 or by e-mail
