What a humbling experience to be writing this letter.  I’m so excited to be the principal of a place that has had such a profound influence on the majority of my life.   When I found out I would get the opportunity to be the principal of West Jefferson High School; I was shocked, speechless, excited, and terrified.  I do not take lightly the trust that Superintendent Williams and our school board is placing on me.  I will do all I can to not let the administration, the board, teachers, students, employees, parents, and the community down.  I know that this wonderful place is an important hub in our community.  I’m bound to make mistakes and not always get everything right; but I hope the love, concern, care, and devotion I have for this place and everyone in it will help with what I lack. I feel the long history I have here is an advantage because I know a lot about the good things that have happened here, but I also have always had the desire to learn and change which I think is added strength.  I’ve been blessed to be taught and work with some of the best educators and mentors I know (as do many of you).  But I also love to always learn, grow, change and continue to improve.  I hope to find a strong balance in upholding the strong traditions of education and excellence that are here while ushering in and utilizing exciting changes to help our students continue to be competitive in the working world, continue helping them grow into good humans, and facilitate their process of becoming contributing members of their communities.  A lot of these roots start in the good homes in our area, and the school continues to help students grow in a wide variety of skills and areas.  Junior high and high school is a time of transition and breaking away.  It can be a wonderfully tumultuous and frustratingly beautiful time.  The school wants to always support the good in students while pushing them to try new things and learn beyond what they thought they could.

I strongly believe that learning is a life-long process.  I’ve tried to model that for my students.  Leaving my classroom, where it was easy and comfortable, was really difficult.  I’ll miss it dearly, but life offers opportunities and challenges to continue to help us grow and learn.   I look forward to helping facilitate that at this school.  I love to watch the growth in students from their start as freshmen to the end of their senior year.   It is so fun to watch students dive in and do all they can here.  I love the classes we offer and the activities and clubs we have.  But we have some exciting new opportunities to be a blended learner, to take advantage of acquiring college credits, or being a full-time online student.   

One of my most favorite memories from the last 26 years of teaching is coming to the school after a nice, summer break and opening up the doors to see that long, blue hallway gleaming.  That hallway that is iconic and representative of so much of my journey as a West Jefferson Panther-from young child going to Hamer School, to junior high in Terreton, to high school at West Jefferson, to finally returning home as a teacher.  Every year, I would look at that long hallway and think of all of the new journeys that would be starting for each school year.  Then I would walk into my classroom, and it would be ready for me to set up for another year of learning and teaching kids.  This summer, I’ve closed a chapter of my journey of being an English teacher.  It was harder than I thought and many tears were shed, but what a wonderful journey it has been.  Some of my most treasured memories happened in my classroom.  What a privilege it has been to teach so many amazing kids, to watch their lives unfold and see where they have gone and how they are making the world a better place.  I’ve not always done everything right, but I hope that in the last 26 years, students know how much I cared about their learning and about them.   I see that this will be a new transition of caring about their learning in a different way, but one that will continue to support their education.  The world is changing, and we are preparing our talented and capable students for jobs and future careers that might not even exist yet. How exciting to be working with so many of my colleagues and friends to continue to build students to be prepared for that future that is coming.  There are many exciting things coming to West Jefferson High School to individualize learning for students.  I encourage parents to jump on the journey with their kids.   They need you so much at the junior high and high school age.   I look forward to working with all of the devoted and amazing employees in this district who do so much to continue to make this the place that we love! Thanks in advance for your support, help, and what you all contribute to make this place be so wonderful.  There is a school, a grand old school…It’s called West Jefferson!  Let’s have a school year where we “Do our Best” and always remember what team we are all on!  “Fight Panthers, fight and do your best”.   

Mrs. Scott