Rickan Brings a Big Heart and Big Plans
A conversation with our new principal about his vision for Franklin County Tech.
Being a family man and parent of two boys only makes Principal Rickan love his job more. He said that when he was growing up that there were two adults who had a very positive influence on him. “The two people I looked up to and who influenced me positively were my grandfather and my basketball coach,” he said.
Throughout this interview it was clear to us that Mr. Rickan has a big heart for his work and our school, but the first impression that some students got of him wasn’t all that positive. Some thought he was the “bad guy” because he was changing some of the rules. What drew us to speaking with him and doing this interview was how much the student body has been talking about him.
“I know the kids didn’t like me at first, but improvements have been made, though we still aren’t all the way the way where I want us to be yet,” he said.
Once you get to know Principal Rickan it becomes clear that he isn’t that bad of a guy. He has clear goals for the students and the faculty, and he genuinely cares about our school. One of his most important goals is to focus more on students’ futures and “develop the talent we have here.” “I’d also like to exercise the academic piece,” he added. By this he means that he would like to encourage students to not only go into their field after graduation, but also to continue on to college.
Photo: Massachusetts Dept. of Tourism
Mr. Rickan is from Athol, an industrial town that saw its job base decline. Athol is trying to redevelop its downtown area.
He was drawn to Franklin Tech because it is a vocational school and he thought it would be a good place to continue his long career of working with young people in education. During his career in education he has taught health, PE, and science.
As part of his daily routine as principal he speaks to many people, and this includes communicating with people outside of school. “I think it takes a special kind of person to be a principal,” he said.
Principal Rickan talked with us about some of the reasons he has made some changes here at the School. He wanted to make certain changes based on his experience. He says he was simply enforcing the rules in the hand book more than they had been enforced in the past. He felt that there was a lot of “hanging out” in the halls and that’s something he had not seen in other schools where he had worked.
Finally, Principal Rickan said that he hopes that the changes will create a better environment for learning in the long run. He believes, “There is always room for improvement --even room for me to improve!"