On Thursday, October 14th, we interviewed Ms. Jacques, an assistant principal here at Norman North. 

What inspired you to be a principal?

I had a principal that I idolized, and one day she asked me why I was not a principal, and I said I actually had never considered it then she said you would make an amazing principal. I think you should do it. And so she is the reason I started, I went to school, and got my master’s in administration.

What high school did you go to?

I’m from Mayfield, New Mexico.

When did you move here?

I moved to Oklahoma in 1990. I met my son’s father. He was a pipeliner in New Mexico, the only reason I moved from New Mexico to Oklahoma was because he lived here.

Do you like it here?

I don’t like the humidity. I like the desert, I am a desert rat. I also like the sun. I don’t like the snow, ice or cold, but other than that it’s fabulous. Spring and fall I really like because I didn’t have exposure to all four seasons because it was just the desert unless I went somewhere north.

How did you get started at Norman North?

So Dr. Liesenfeld is actually the one that hired me; he sold me on Norman north. I actually was a principal at a school in Chickasha and an old principal friend of mine had come to Norman, and she said just to try an interview, and I hadn’t been in high school in a while I was at an elementary school. And Pete said come on down, I’ll show you the building, also you’re familiar with Dr. Liesenfeld, he’s very infectiously happy and excited about everything so it really sold me on North. And on top of that, I had actually worked with Dr. Gray in Oklahoma City Public Schools, so when she came in I was thrilled to death. I love the people that I work with and I love the kids here, so I continue to stay.

Do you have a favorite memory from North?

[Wathcing] Officer Antwine during a SPUD lip sync battle started singing “Respect” (by Aretha Franklin), and all of the kids went wild. It was amazing and was really fun to watch.