Mr. Latham and the assistant principals of Thunderbird have worked hard to help maintain Thunderbird High School, but what exactly do they do?
Mr. Latham has worked hard at Thunderbird for about 13 years. He has worked here as
an assistant principal for a total of around 10 years and now as the head principal for around 3, almost 4, years.
Being a principal is no easy job, let alone being the head principal for an entire high school. Principals must know how to be an instructor for those around them, communicate with teachers and parents alike, and how to uplift those attending their school while still being able to discipline troublemakers.
Before school, during the lunches, and after school, the principals usually just greet students and teachers and engage with Thunderbird’s population. Their tasks for a day are always different and there is never a set schedule.
One of the main tasks the principals have is dealing with the concerns from Thunderbird’s population and working together to solve problems.
Mr. Latham said that: “Probably one of the most important jobs as a principal is helping mentor and evaluate and support teachers.” Over the course of the year, the principals pop into some classes to give feedback on how the teachers are doing. They go over what the teachers are teaching and what their lesson plans are. Afterwards there’s an evaluation of how the teachers are doing and if they are connecting with the students and getting the course’s lessons across to the students.
Once a week, they meet with each other as a team to let everyone know what’s happening, they look over requests from the student council, and what’s happening with everyone in the offices.
On every other Wednesday, Mr. Latham meets with the governing board alongside the other principals in the district to report Thunderbird High School’s academic and athletic successes. On the next day, the principals, superintendents, and assistant superintendents meet and talk about what’s happening in the schools and talk about what has been working out for their respective schools.
To improve student involvement and Thunderbird’s overall culture, the principals normally just talk to and meet with students like normal people. They try to motivate them to explore their interests and undergo an enriching high school experience. There is almost always at least one or more principal at home games or performances and they try their best to venture out to events outside of school.
With all that Mr. Latham, Mrs. Bjork, Mr. Piezchala, and Mr. Peterson do for Thunderbird’s sake, students can be glad to know they are doing their greatest to maintain Thunderbird’s culture.
