West Plains High School is an amazing place that holds, develops, and appreciates many great leaders. The four administrators of WPHS work hard to keep the teachers, students, and building together. These administrators, often seen as the “Dream Team,” include Head Principal Eric Gomez, Associate Principal Randi Willard, Assistant Principal Brittnee Hooks, and Assistant Principal Jeff Schenck. Each leader brings something important to this school and they work great together while doing it.
The success of a team comes with having common goals. Communication is a big part of this equation.
“We live in a world of instant communication, snap, text, emails, etc. Being able to communicate with my teachers at any time makes this job much easier than before,” said Shenck. “The most challenging thing is it is easy to say I will get that done, but then you don’t get that done….that breaks trust and that can be hard to repair.”
The four administrators meet every week to gain new ideas, be on the same wavelength, and allow the school to prosper. “I don’t have to be involved in or take the lead on everything that happens at West Plains because I have complete trust in my people and I know they are going to knock whatever task they are working on out of the park,” said Gomez. “A big part of my job is listening, and through listening and watching my team do their thing, I’ve learned their strengths and can go to them with tasks that showcase those strengths.” He believes that being a great listener among his team has led to great trust and a great understanding of the strengths that surround him. Acknowledging one another’s actions within the school gives him confidence that they will succeed. Clearly, communication is a priority in this school and the Dream Team prospers when they can get their messages across to each other.
Another piece of this puzzle that creates the Dream Team is their years of experience working in the education field. Gomez has now been in education for 17 years. His experience other than administration such as coaching and teaching has built a strong foundation to now be the first ever head principal of West Plains High School. Then there is Willard who has worked in this field for 13 years with jobs such as an elementary teacher, assistant principal, a junior high counselor, and now the associate principal. West Plains High School’s assistant principals Hooks and Schenck also have given a lot of their time to this system. Hooks has been working in the field of education for 14 years with multiple different titles such as a teacher, a testing coordinator, an instructional coach, and now an assistant principal. Schenck has worked in education and coaching for 14 years as well. He’s been successful in coaching and even playing sports himself. He’s also served as a special education teacher and is now an assistant principal. As you can see, all four of our administrators have years of experience which comes with plenty of lessons learned and wisdom gained. They each have so much knowledge to share with one another to create the best leadership roles they can. The skills they’ve picked up from the adversity of their educational journeys make an incredible team of leaders to move this high school in the right direction.
Success is just a trajection of passion and hard work. All four of these individuals have so much belief in this school and the students who attend it. They constantly work towards the goals of West Plains High School. Motivation stems from a passionate outlook on life. They are motivated to keep all students in line by making sure they’re where they need to be to achieve their personal goals. The administration keeps kids safe and holds them to a standard of honesty, self-respect, and respect for others. Having so much admiration to share comes easy for these leaders. “I will be the first to say that the team I have working with me is among the most qualified and hardest-working individuals I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with,” said Gomez. Working with such determined people surely makes this experience a lot easier. Creating a positive outlook for each other is extremely important within their teamwork. The Dream Team must spread encouragement and active positivity to succeed as a unit. When there are problems within the school they are able to look to each other for motivation and help.
Though a lot is going on in the school, there’s an amazing team of people who take their responsibilities seriously and attack each problem together. Their good communication sets them up for control over any situation that may come. Experience brings them even further into success as they all contribute very wise lessons to their shared leadership. Their ability to have an incredible amount of passion for this school and everyone in it sets the inclusive and success-driven culture within the school. The Dream Team could not move forward without the encouragement and support they supply to one another. These leaders of West Plains High School are each a piece of an amazing team that the students and teachers can look to for guidance, in times of need, and to see how a team works together for success.
