WINNEMUCCA - The school district will have some new faces in administration this year, some from outside the district and some from other areas within it.
Superintendent Dr. Dave Jensen said he is excited about the new team and the progress that will be made this year and in the years to come.
Jensen said the shifting and hiring began when long-time Winnemucca Junior High Principal Ray Garrison made the decision to retire. Janet Kennedy, former McDermitt principal, was one of three internal applicants and was recommended for the position. The offer gave Kennedy a chance to take a job in Winnemucca, where her family lives, but presented an open position for McDermitt principal.
There were four applicants for the position, and Jensen said they were "very energetic, aggressive individuals," although none had previous principal experience.
Ultimately, Dustin Christean, who has performed a number of roles for the district, was chosen.
According to Jensen, Christean had previously filled a special education pscyhometrist position in the district while working toward his degree. When the University of Nevada Reno cut the program he was in, he took a social studies teaching position at WJH.
Jensen said he would classify Christean as a "sponge," and he has hit the ground running, already beginning summer school classes at McDermitt.
"We are excited to have Dustin on board," Jensen said.
Winnemucca Junior High saw another shift in administration this summer as Ray Parks, former vice principal, took a transfer to Lowry High School to become vice principal and athletic director.
Jensen said this is in part due to his wealth of experience in athletics. Byron Jeppsen, former vice principal/athletic director at Lowry, will be switching spots with Parks and taking the vice principal position at WJH.
Changes have been taking place at Sonoma Heights Elementary over the summer as well. The catalyst for those changes was the creation of a requirement by the state department of education that all schools with a three-star or less Nevada School Performance Framework (NSPF) rating implement the Nevada Comprehensive Curriculum Audit Tool (NCCAT).
The process, according to Jensen, is "very intense and complex." Because of the time intensive nature of the task, he created an NCCAT coordinator position to extend through the next three years.
"Given the amount of tasks, it did not make sense to ask the principal and staff to approach this," he said.
Jensen said he asked each administrator if he or she was interested, but Noel Morton was the one who stepped forward for the position.
"She has every skill set I was looking for to complete the task," he said. "In my opinion she is the perfect fit."
The process will begin with a year-long completion of the audit. Morton will facilitate the process. The following year, audit results will be used to work with staff and administration to determine what needs to be done moving forward. That will continue into the third year.
Jensen said the position will be reevaluated once the three-year period is over.
With Morton taking the NCCAT coordinator position, there was another principal position to fill - this time at Sonoma.
Jensen said that the position was posted internally at first, but there was not much interest in it. The position was then posted externally and two candidates were chosen: one from within the district and one from another district.
"There was quality in either direction," Jensen said.
Ultimately, the hiring committee recommendation was for Amy Nelson, a former Lander County School District administrator. Nelson brings with her 14 years of experience in Lander County and said she is both excited and nervous for her new position as principal at Sonoma.
"It's scary to start a new position, but I'm looking forward to it," she said. "I think it will stretch me a little."
In addition to the changes that took place over the summer, the new assistant superintendent has also taken her place in the district after being officially hired in the spring.
Dawn Hagness, who was previously the director of the Nevada Regional Professional Development Program, said she is looking forward to being a part of the district.
Jensen said he is happy with the district's administrative team and is excited for what's to come.
"I can't say how excited I am for the administration team as a whole," he said. "I have a vision of where we are going to go as a team."
Although the administrative team is complete, there are still some staff holes to fill despite the extensive recruiting and hiring that has already been done.
Among those holes are: an early childhood educator at Sonoma Heights, fifth grade and music teachers at French Ford; fifth grade, sixth grade, social studies, and special education teachers at McDermitt; a physical education and three special education teachers at WJH; and a special education teacher at Lowry.
Jensen said that in addition to the 14 new positions created for the upcoming year, there were 10 retirements and seven resignations that left openings. Two of the new positions created are floater positions that have yet to be filled, but Jensen said he is going to hold off on those until it is more clear if student enrollment will warrant two additional hires.[[In-content Ad]]
