Across the country schools are celebrating National Principals Month. At Greenon, we are fortunate to have an outstanding team of principals. Many people think of principals primarily as disciplinarians at the school, and while that is a small portion of their job, principals are important in many other ways.
Principals serve as leaders in the school, for both students and staff. They are instrumental in setting the tone for their schools and translating the district’s strategic plan into an actionable vision for the school. Our principals guide students, support teachers, interact with parents, engage with the PTO, and set a standard for conduct at the school and in the community.
From an operational perspective, principals oversee the daily activities of the school including developing budgets, exploring solutions to everyday challenges, and being a liaison between the school and the district office.
Our three principals do all of that and more!
Mrs. Sarah Chivington is the Principal of Greenon Elementary. Her enthusiasm for learning and for every student is contagious! You’ll see her each day at drop off and pick up with a smile on her face, encouraging students to make good choices and have a great day. She’s been vital to our Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) program and we’ve seen a decrease in discipline referrals as a result. She worked with our School Resource Officer and local law enforcement to host a Safety Week and Fire Prevention Assembly, and worked with our school PTO to bring an immersive astronomy and solar system experience to the students. Mrs. Chivington excels at building relationships with students and using her cheerful and compassionate attitude to encourage positive behavior choices.
Mr. Josh Newport is the Principal of Greenon Jr/Sr High School. Mr. Newport has focused on improving communications and collaboration within the school. His new weekly newsletter has been well received and has helped to keep staff apprised of all school activities. Mr. Newport has also initiated a Good News at Greenon! feature that celebrates all of the innovative learning happening in the Jr/Sr High School. Mr. Newport actively participates in multiple school committees and fosters cross collaboration amongst teams. In collaboration with Mr. Cochran, they have created several opportunities to recognize students and staff. Mr. Newport is actively involved in school activities and often seen at school events.
Mr. Justin Cochran is the Assistant Principal at Greenon Jr/Sr High School. Similar to Mr. Newport, Mr. Cochran has made communications a top priority. He has instituted a new streamlined process for announcements, elevated the digital signage on our building monitors, and increased communication with parents. Mr. Cochran has been working to obtain funding that provides virtual reality headsets to teach algebra and geometry in an Immersive Virtual Reality environment. This technology would allow students to learn key math concepts such as linear functions, quadratics, and statistics through movement and experience, leading to an increase in student comprehension, recall, and overall enthusiasm for learning math.
We are grateful to have principals that go above and beyond to help Greenon students and teachers be successful!