As you may have heard, DCPS has hired a new principal for Wilson High School. Kimberly Martin will take over for Greg Bargeman, who has served as interim principal since December, when Pete Cahall turned in his resignation.
Martin has served as a high school principal for 12 of her 16 years as an educator, most recently in Colorado at Aspen High School. In May, she announced she was leaving to pursue her doctorate in urban education at Cleveland State University. And then the Wilson opportunity came along.
In an interview Tuesday with the student-journalists at the Wilson Beacon, Martin said she couldn’t pass up the chance to work with Chancellor Kaya Henderson.
[box]”…[T]he reform efforts that are taking place in DC right now are unparalleled and the most important educator in our country right now is Kaya Henderson. A couple days after I met her I was like ‘okay, I’m going to DC. I have to work with her.[/box]
Martin also doesn’t seem fazed at all about coming from a high school with 561 students to one with about 1,700. She told the Beacon that Wilson is a fantastic high school with “the resources, the student talent, the parent involvement, the strong staff, and all of those pieces are in place to help Wilson become better than it already is.”
In a letter to the Wilson community, DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson said Martin’s first day on the job is June 29th. Read more:
[box]June 2, 2015
Dear Wilson Senior High School Community:
As you know, every year we conduct a nationwide search for the best principals to lead our schools. To deliver a high-quality education to all students, it takes a strong school leader who is singularly focused on raising student achievement. Astounding advances are possible when the right leader is at the helm of a school.
The Wilson school community supported this search by examining potential candidates and making their recommendations, and we sincerely appreciate your time and efforts on behalf of our students. After balancing your input and recommendations with the needed experience and skills that research links to success, we concluded that your recommendation, Kimberly Martin, is the strongest candidate to lead the Wilson school community.
I am happy to report that Ms. Martin has accepted the offer to be the Wilson High School principal. Her official appointment begins on June 29, 2015.
Kimberly Martin has over 16 years of experience as an educator. She began her career in Lorain, Ohio where she spent five years teaching high school English and history before being promoted to the principal of Lorain Admiral King High School in 2003. She spent two years there before transferring to lead Thomas W. Harvey High School in Painesville, Ohio in 2005. Ms. Martin spent seven years as the principal of Harvey High School before being tapped to lead Aspen High School, Colorado’s number one public high school in 2012. Ms. Martin has a bachelor’s degree in English and history from Case Western Reserve University, a master’s degree in education from John Carroll University, and is in the process of completing her doctorate in urban education from Cleveland State University.
I want to thank everyone who participated in the principal selection process, especially the school community panel that reviewed a number of quality candidates. Ms. Martin is excited to meet all of you, and I hope you will give her your warm welcome and support as she leads your children toward success.
Sincerely,
Kaya Henderson
Chancellor [/box]