This school year has brought many changes to the administrative team here at Waterford High School. Although Mr. Samuelson, Mrs. Batty, and Mrs. Moore have all been members of the Waterford community for years, they are all taking on new administrative positions. 

When asked about their strengths as a team, each immediately replied “communication!” Ironically enough, this exemplified this strength perfectly. They believe that their communication helps them manage the school as effectively as possible. They discussed how things are running smoothly thanks to this and how that sets up their plans for the school as a whole.

Their communication skills are something that they want to apply to our school’s community as well. A core belief of the principals is that every member of our school, whether staff or student, deserves a voice. To them, the concept of Lancer Nation is vital to our school, and they want to do their best to make sure everyone at our school feels like a member of our community.

In addition to making sure everyone feels like a member of Lancer Nation at our school, Mr. Samuelson strives to make sure everyone at our school feels excited to come to school every day. With the beginning of a return to normalcy after a tumultuous three years, bringing back a positive attitude to our student body is a top priority for our staff. Speaking to his experience as a restaurant manager, he spoke of different ways to measure success, with the measure of success at a restaurant being the amount of “money in the cash register,” but that with our school he believes our success is measured by the feelings of his students; the happier and more motivated they are, the more successful the school is.

Each administrator has their own things they love about our school. Mrs. Batty loves the beautiful campus. The nature surrounding our school with the forest behind us and the green hills make her excited to come to work. Mr. Samuelson and Mrs. Moore had similar responses, citing that the school’s sense of community and Lancer Nation as a whole make them the happiest.

To help achieve the goals of building our community, the principals want to bring back bonding activities like pep rallies and class meetings. They believe that these events are what make our Lancer Nation cohesive. A vital part of our school spirit is that “once a Lancer, always a Lancer,” a point emphasized by Mr. Samuelson. The continued connections and lessons that we make at our school are key to the school’s feeling of community. 

In accordance with their word, the administrators have had multiple class meetings already this year.  In these meetings, students are actively participating and celebrating, just as the administrators wanted. They’ve organized spirit week as well, to the delight of many students. Without the domineering presence of Covid and a set of fresh faces in administration, the school has been revitalized. Many groups of students are excitedly planning for spirit week, forming groups for costumes and teams for the powderpuff game.

Each administrator reached out and had a conversation with me about myself and my personal experiences at our school. Moments like these, where they attempted to build connections with their students are what make this administration special. Although our conversation wasn’t long, it made me feel like I had a voice, and that their goals are being achieved. Before I left the room, Mr. Samuelson reminded me that “the door is always open” for me, and any other student. If I ever need someone to listen to me, I’m sure the new administrators will be there to help.