CAPE MAN HOPES TO MAKE MAGIC AS CARUTHERSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

Whether he's performing his favorite rope trick, turning a balloon into Alex the rabbit or charming his pet snake, David Copperhead, Rob Huff keeps his audience captivated.

Now the Caruthersville School Board hopes Huff will have the same magical touch with his new audience, the students, parents and teachers of Caruthersville High School.

The Cape Girardeau magician, who has been a soccer coach and mathematics and physics teacher at Cape Girardeau Central High and Junior High schools during the past 12 years, has accepted the position as principal of the Bootheel high school.

Huff is excited to work with the school's faculty, but he will face many challenges as principal.

Identifying the dropout rate as a weakness at Caruthersville, Huff is dedicated to keeping students in the classroom.

And he knows it will take more than an "Abracadabra."

Working with school officials, Huff has reviewed handbooks to toughen the attendance policy.

"We will expect the students to be in the classroom," Huff said. "The number one factor between a good school and a great school is expectations."

But Huff realizes policies can only go so far. The students should want to be in school, not feel like they have to be there, he said.

One strategy is authentic teaching, a teaching technique which goes beyond book learning and emphasizes real life situations.

"Students see a reason for what they are doing instead of sitting around listening to teachers," he said.

Tom Richards experienced Huff's activity-oriented approach to learning during physics class his senior year at Cape Central.

Instead of assigning a chapter or giving a lecture one day, Huff asked students to construct a bridge with toothpicks. The student with the strongest bridge would win.

"The idea was to use the structures to demonstrate reinforcement in physics. If it was structurally sound, the bridge would take the weight," Richards remembers. "Rob was always energetic and excited about class, and it overflowed into the way the students learned and looked at the class."

Andy Arbeitman, assistant principal and athletic director at Caruthersville, thinks Huff's push for activity in the classroom is exactly what the school needs.

"His strong desire toward improving the classroom instruction will better enhance and motivate the students," he said. "It will have a trickle down effect. The students will be there more and there will be less chance they drop out."

Huff received training in authentic learning through the STARR program.

Select Teachers as Regional Resources, sponsored by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, sends teachers to schools throughout the state to give seminars on hands-on learning and other teaching techniques used in authentic learning.

Participating in the STARR program will be a tremendous advantage for Huff as a principal, said Dr. Robert Bell, STARR director.

"What often happens to education administrators is that they get too busy with administrative housekeeping to receive the professional development to keep their teachers on the cutting edge," Bell said. "Through STARR, Rob already has the knowledge of what things teachers should be involved in to be better teachers."

STARR educators also have special training in the new education initiatives. Senate Bill 380, which passed in 1995, created new performance assessments, academic standards and curriculum frameworks.

"All the principals out there have to get geared up and prepare for these changes, but Rob is already there and knows how to align new state curriculums," Bell said.

Huff, a natural entertainer, loves being in the classroom, but being principal will allow him to affect more teachers and students.

And his magic wand will help.

Ever since he received his first magic kit at age 6, he has learned how to study and deal with people, a skill he will need in administration, he said.

"In both magic and administration, you have to have management and dexterity skills, but it's not very effective, or entertaining, if you can't get people involved in what you are doing," he said. "And if people -- the community, teachers, parents and students -- are involved in the process, the product is going to be better."

Huff knows each of his life experiences will contribute to his abilities as principal, including fatherhood.

Noah Joseph, his 6-month-old son, has taught him a lesson in administration.

He always knew parents had a tendency to believe in the motto, "My child can do no wrong," but now he understands it firsthand.

"Now I have a better understanding of the need for communication with the parent," he said.