Feedback meeting for West Seattle High School’s interim principal

Courtesy of the West Seattle High School PTSA mailing list, a chance to offer feedback before the district decides whether to make WSHS’s interim principal permanent:

Parents and community members are invited to meet with Aurora Lora, Executive Director of West Seattle Schools, to provide feedback on how the school year is going under the leadership of interim principal, Ruth Medsker. Ms. Lora will use feedback from a variety of sources to make a recommendation to the superintendent about whether to make Ms. Medsker’s role as principal at West Seattle High School permanent.

The meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 2nd, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the West Seattle High School Library. If you are unable to attend this meeting, you may provide your feedback directly to Aurora Lora at aalora@seattleschools.org. Ms. Lora will be making her recommendation to the superintendent on Friday, March 4th.

As we reported when her appointment was announced last June, Medsker’s previous experience in Seattle Public Schools included working in central administration as middle-school director after serving as principal of Mercer Middle School. WSHS’s previous principal Bruce Bivins left after last school year for a job in California; the school’s two assistant principals departed as well, so WSHS has been running this year with all-new leadership at the top.

Carol PB February 28, 2011 (3:57 pm)

My daughter has long since graduated from WSHS, so no comment on the principal, but had to say, Aurora Lora-what a great name!

WestSide45 February 28, 2011 (7:11 pm)

With a name like that it seems a different profession would be in order.

West Seattle Parent February 28, 2011 (8:02 pm)

Is there also a meeting for WSHS staff to provide input? Just wondering — I am not a staff member — just have never seen a request for information from our teachers and other staff regarding any of our school administrators.

Star 55 February 28, 2011 (8:30 pm)

Here is what I know: She is serious about kids learning, she has a great administration team in place, kids are not walking the streets during school hours and are actually attending school. Just like any professional coach she needs time to get the right teaching staff in place, parents on the same page and the community to support the good things happening at school. She has my vote.

TW March 1, 2011 (10:41 am)

Speaking not as a parent but as an 8 year neighbor of the school I will say that she’s done an excellent job minimizing student impacts in the surrounding neighborhood. We’ve had far fewer issues this year than in the past and I truly appreciate the effort she’s made in this regard.

wsparent March 1, 2011 (11:57 am)

Bivins was terrible for that school, and the ongoing churn is destructive, too. WSHS needs a stable, competent principal, and it looks like Medsker might be the one! There is no reason that school’s academic offerings and test scores should be so mediocre.

Madison Parent March 1, 2011 (7:43 pm)

This is our second year at WSHS – one year with Bivins and one year with Ruth Medsker – I can see alot of positive change already and am hearing about more to come. Ruth Medsker seems genuinely interested in seeing these students be successful, she has very high standards and has not wasted any time implementing positive changes. WSHS is suffering from a bad reputation that is not deserved. Many parents from Madison are choosing Chief Sealth over Madison because of this undeserved reputation.

Indians March 1, 2011 (8:30 pm)

That school hasn’t been the same since the mascot was changed!!

Honestly though, I attended the school during the Bivins administration and I thought it was a wonderful school full of spirit and fervor. There will always be kids who decide to not give they’re best effort, but it was a much better experience then I feel I would have had and any other local school.

Go Indians!!

Teacher March 2, 2011 (8:47 pm)

The school HAS been the same since the mascot was changed because that’s all it was. The climate of the school stays the same segregated school it has been for years. Just come by any day and look around. Kids are in isolated racial and social groups. Non-diverse staff and ignorant out-dated ideas being perpetuated in the classroom. Indians are from India, so you go Indians!