On May 23, Lisa Moore was informed that she had been named the interim principal and would be filling the role of principal for the 2016-17 school year. Throughout the summer, Moore has started making improvements in the school.
“We have landscaped the front of the building. We have posted ‘Railer Pride’ in three entrances to NHS. We have set up seminars so that students are distributed by their activities and teams first and then all other students are distributed randomly,” Moore said. “ I have also worked closely with the booster club to have a downtown pep rally on Wed. Aug. 31.”
When choosing the interim principal there were many applicants that the selection committee had to choose from, but there are certain reasons why some members felt Moore would be the best fit for this year.
“Mrs. Moore is a good fit for this position because she knows the staff, the building and the students. She has a passion for Newton High School and is invested in the school and the community,” Career and Technical Director Melinda Rangel said. “She will help our school because she has ideas for improvements and will work tirelessly to make things happen.”
Moore’s main focus will be on instilling Railer pride within students and throughout the building during this school year.
“I want to encourage the students to take pride in themselves. Believe in yourself, set goals for yourself and advocate for yourself. Take pride in who you are and who you represent. Don’t settle for mediocrity. Shoot for the moon and you might land in the stars,” Moore said.
Having a interim principal is not the only administration change that has been made. Rangel will not only be keeping her current position as career and technical director, she will also be adding to her list of duties by taking Moore’s former position as assistant principal. To ensure that no one has too much on their plate this school year, the administration team has divided up the work load.
“Mrs. Moore and the administration team divided duties this year and I took on some additional roles. For example, Mrs. Moore used to do the school newsletter and I will now be in charge of that. I have also assumed responsibility for more teacher evaluations,” Rangel said.
Moore has already been very active in the role of principal, but she has not done it all on her own.
“Mr. (Greg) Dietz, Mr. (Brian) Becker and Mrs. Rangel have all stepped up and been incredibly supportive. They’ve taken my ideas and sprinted. They’ve generated their own ideas and we’ve run with them,” Moore said. “We are working together closely and communicating specifically about improvements and changes. It’s going to be a great year.”