Meet MS/HS Principal Christopher Ulrich!
- Name: Chris Ulrich
- Where are you from and where did you grow up? I grew up in a few different places in Minnesota (Morris, Apple Valley, and Minneota), but I spent jr. high and high school in Minneota, MN, so that’s where I call home.
- Describe your high school experience: My high school experience was pretty typical. I had a summer job coaching baseball and softball, was involved in athletics and other activities during the school year, and hung out with my friends on the weekends. My dad was the elementary principal and AD, so seeing him at school everyday was a little unique.
- From where did you graduate college and with what degree(s)? I graduated from NSU with a degree in science in secondary education in the spring of 2013. More recently, I graduated from NSU with a master’s degree in leadership and administration this past summer.
- What do you teach/coach/lead at Northwestern? My primary role is the middle school and high school principal, but I also teach applied chemistry.
- How long have you been here? This is my first year!
- When did you realize you wanted to become a teacher? I was always interested in education because my dad was a teacher and principal.
- What is rewarding about your job? Interacting with students and helping them succeed is the most rewarding part of the job.
- If you could have any other job what would it be? I’d still like to work with and help people, so maybe a nurse.
- Who is your biggest role model? My dad has been and continues to be my biggest role model.
- What are your hobbies? I like to spend time with family and friends, watch tv and movies, and golf in the summer.
- Where do you see yourself in ten years? That’s a good question. If I was asked this 10 years ago, I can guarantee you that my answer would not have been the 6-12 principal at Northwestern, so it’s tough to say. Life can pull people in weird directions, but I’d be happy if I’m still here in 10 years.
- If you could live anywhere else, where? I like the calm and quiet of a small community, but if I had to pick somewhere else it would probably be a suburb of the Twin Cities. I have a lot of family that live there, and it would be great to be able to go to a Twins or Timberwolves game on a random weekday.
- What type of music do you listen to? I listen to a little bit of everything. Half of the time when the radio is on, I’m thinking about something else instead of listening to what’s playing anyway.
- What food is like a guilty pleasure to you? I’m not much of a cook, so my guilty pleasure foods are from restaurants. My two most common stops in Aberdeen are Thatzza Pizza and Taco Bell.
- Last book you read? Putting FACES on the Data, a book for my last graduate course. It’s been a while since I’ve read a book that wasn’t part of a college course.
- Who would play the lead in a movie about your life? I think it’d be fun to see a really weird or crazy take on my life, so someone like Joaquin Phoenix comes to mind.
- What super power do you wish you had? The ability to instantly jump to another location. Especially around the holidays, I spend so much time driving that I wish I could just snap my fingers and be where I want to be.
- Biggest pet peeve? I have a few, but I would say the one that annoys me the most is snapping gum. My sister used to do it all the time when I was little just because she knew it made me mad.
- What advice do you have for the students of Northwestern? Try your hardest, learn to work past mistakes, and be kind to others.