A little more than midway through the school year, Chris Kinsey is no longer interim principal of Chief Sealth International High School – he is its permanent principal, according to a letter sent to students’ families today:

Dear Chief Sealth International High School community,

Today I am excited to officially appoint Chris Kinsey as your permanent principal.

Mr. Kinsey stepped into the role in August – building on the momentum created over the past several years, while finding new ways to create student and staff success.

This school year, Chief Sealth won a Washington Achievement Award for improvement, honored one of its teachers with a Golden Apple Award, and increased the number of students taking International Baccalaureate classes. Under his leadership, the school expanded math and science offerings, kept more seniors than ever on track to graduate, developed more international education curriculum and is meeting the challenges of a growing student population.

Aurora Lora, Executive Director of Schools for the West Seattle region, conducted the community input process on Mr. Kinsey’s performance as interim principal. Feedback included discussions held with the PTSA and the Building Leadership Team, as well as a survey of staff, parents/guardians and the community. People also submitted feedback through emails, letters and phone calls.

The results indicated that Mr. Kinsey is a great fit at Chief Sealth, and as he says, “It’s an excellent time to be a Seahawk.”

I know Mr. Kinsey has many plans for Chief Sealth’s future. Part of his plan includes strengthening the partnership with Denny International Middle School to build a powerful Grades 6-12 pathway of learning and ensuring that ALL students in ALL programs find success and celebrate those successes with our community.

Mr. Kinsey started his career in 1999 as a 7th-grade classroom teacher at Meany Middle School and also served as the Dean and Administrative Intern for Pathways at Nathan Hale High School. He was the House Administrator at Eckstein Middle School and an Assistant Principal at Cleveland High School where he helped plan and implement the STEM program.

Mr. Kinsey is a true instructional leader, and I know he will continue to work with all of you to ensure success at Chief Sealth International High School.

Sincerely,

Susan Enfield, Ed.D.
Interim Superintendent
Seattle Public Schools

The news comes just in time for the Chief Sealth PTSA’s annual dinner/auction, which is tomorrow night. Sealth’s previous principal, John Boyd, left last summer to become an executive director of schools for the Highline Public Schools district immediately south of Seattle.

(WSB photo from September 2011)