How long have you been in education, and how many years have you served in Frenship ISD?
I’ve been in education for 20 years— nine years in the classroom and 11 years in administration. When the new elementary opens in August of 2024, it will be my fifth year at Frenship. Prior to being named the principal for the ninth elementary, I served as the Westwind Elementary Principal.
As principal of the ninth elementary school, what are you looking forward to the most?
It’s hard to pick just one thing, because there are so many things I’m excited about! If I had to pick just one, I would say I’m most looking forward to having the opportunity to be a part of building a strong, positive culture from day one for students, staff, and parents. There is such an electric excitement that comes with opening a new campus, and I want to take that energy into hiring a team that is fired up for serving our students and families. When teachers are excited, that translates into high-performing students and happy families. I cannot wait!
How are you preparing for the new campus to open in the August of 2024?
This semester I am working on staff trainings for refreshing some current practices and some new learning for teams to sharpen their skillsets. I’ve been digging into some of the top-performing campuses in the state and finding some pieces we can incorporate to make us the absolute best we can be for our students. I meet with various departments involved in the planning of the new school and help make some of those decisions. I will hire a secretary in December and begin staffing in February.
When will we know the name of the ninth elementary school?
Students, parents, staff, and community members will help us name the new campus. In November, Frenship ISD will release a public survey that allows our Frenship families to submit a name for the ninth elementary school. All third and fourth graders across the district will also get class time to submit a name nomination for the new elementary. Those name submissions will be narrowed down to the top five and based on those top submissions, the Frenship ISD Board of Trustees will approve the final name of the ninth elementary school during the January 18th school board meeting.
When will we know the attendance boundaries for the middle schools?
The process to develop new attendance boundaries is complex and involves working closely with demographers on growth projections while also getting feedback from parents, staff, and community members. In addition to pushing out proposed attendance boundary maps to the community through the website, social media, and districtwide emails, Frenship will also host two public town hall meetings (October 17, 6:00 p.m. at Willow Bend & October 18, 6:00 p.m. at Bennett). An email address has also been created for people to submit their feedback on the proposed elementary school boundaries. The Frenship community will have another opportunity to provide input at the December 18th school board meeting. The Board of Trustees will then approve the final attendance boundaries during the January school board meeting.
When can students and parents tour the new school?
Our campus website will be set up in late January/ early February and we will keep everyone informed on dates, times, and events. If you’ve driven by and seen the construction (5506 Xenia Ave.), you know it’s progressing daily, but the best day will be when we can finally see it all completed. As soon as we have information, we will share it and will be so ready to welcome our students, families, and community members.