High School Principal Has Big Plans for Next Year

By Dakota Gunnare, Editor in Chief

The end of the school year is a time of reflection and new beginnings for students and staff in the West Bend School District, especially for Jennifer Potter.

In November Potter became the West Bend High Schools’ joint principal. The former West Bend School District student previously served as the Green Tree Elementary School principal. During her three quarters as executive principal, Potter has made community and student feedback a priority. Additionally, Potter is working to revamp the schools’ curriculum to align with present times and provide equal opportunities for students taking the same class.

“The big piece that we are looking towards is increasing student belonging,” Potter said.

In her time as principal of WBHS, Potter has worked to connect with students and increase belonging in many ways. It was Potter’s idea to send out a Google form gauging students’ interest in focus groups. She also added surveys to many student newsletters to gather data from students about what they are interested in.

“Next year I’d be looking to increase those opportunities for students to give feedback about how things are running here and things that they want to see here,” Potter said.

“The big piece that we are looking towards is increasing student belonging.”

Jennifer Potter, WBHS principal

Potter is also looking to promote a community focus at WBHS.

“It’s tough for students sometimes to find something that they connect with here at the high school, whether a co-curricular or an academic subject or even making it to school to feel committed to their classrooms,” Potter said.

Over the summer Potter is working on many projects to increase community and connection at the high schools. This includes working on the construction of a junior/senior lounge in the old East library. Over the summer the space will be revamped with the goal of being open in the first few months of the 2023-2024 school year. Potter will also work on organizing a kick-off event to welcome students back to WBHS. It will be a time for the schools to come together and discuss goals and successes.

“One of the pieces that I’ve heard big feedback from students (about) is that we’re missing that assembly focus, that pep rally focus, those types of things that kind of unite and celebrate,” Potter said.

***The old East library space may be converted into a junior/senior lounge. Photo by Dakota Gunnare, Editor in Chief.***

Potter looks forward to being with WBHS during the beginning of the year when many of these celebratory events, such as homecoming and ninth grade orientation events, happen.

“I’m excited about starting the year with the students and with the staff,” Potter said. “It was a little difficult to hit the ground running in November with things that are already in motion.”

During the next year, Potter says students and staff at WBHS should expect to see a revamping of the curriculum in numerous areas. Physical education and English are the biggest areas of change. These departments will work to modernize their curriculum. Additionally, curriculum will be changing to ensure that students who are taking the same class receive a more consistent curriculum among different teachers. To aid with this process Potter is working on organizing more time for staff members to collaborate with their departments during the school day.

Potter reflected on the differences between being a principal at Green Tree and being a principal at WBHS.

“When you’re connecting with kids you’re connecting (with) real-world experiences,” Potter said. “A lot of times with elementary kids you’re kind of trying to build those experiences around them while students at the high school are living in them. It’s a different level of conversation you can have but with a similar outcome.”

(Top image: Jennifer Potter, executive principal for the West Bend High Schools, works in the main office. Photo by Dakota Gunnare, Editor in Chief.)

The West Bend Current