WHS has opened its doors to new leadership as Brett Curtis and Jacqueline Spring have joined the administrative staff for the 2024-2025 school year,bringing a dynamic energy to the high school hallways.
The first assistant principal position opened in March when former Assistant Principal Dr. Warren Hynes announced that he would become the principal at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School.
In a pool of over 150 applications, Spring, previously an assistant principal at EIS, was 1 of 7 chosen to be interviewed for the position. She had already worked in the district for 17 years as a coordinator for WHS’ Project 79 program and as a social studies teacher, making it a natural transition back to high school.
WHS’ second new assistant principal appointment is another familiar face in the district. After former Assistant Principal James DeSarno moved to the position of athletic director, previously held by Sandra Mamary, Curtis took on the assistant principal position after 11 years of teaching social studies at WHS.
The appointment of new assistant principals may have many students curious about what the job entails. In addition to taking charge of discipline, their jobs involve test administration as well as overseeing the different departments and extracurriculars. However, their day-to-day responsibilities vary, including helping people find their classrooms and sorting out classes missing substitute teachers.
Assistant Principal Mabel Huynh said, “We have a key focus of making sure the operation of the school is as smooth as possible, making sure the management of the school building runs smoothly so the students can do what they need to do.”
To accomplish this, the assistant principals divide management of the students and departments between the three of them.
Spring explained, “I will have students in the alphabet: G through M. While that is our ‘caseload,’ we’re here to help any student.”
Curtis added, “This is not a place where we are only giving out detentions. We are a support system as well and you should get to know us.”
Although the assistant principals almost always have something important on their plate, they are here as an outlet for all students. It would not be surprising if you walked into Office A and found yourself in a lively conversation with Curtis or Spring, who both say they are avid readers.
“My expertise is history, so if you have a history question the door is always open,” Curtis said.
While they both show a true passion for learning, what makes Spring and Curtis stand out is their innovative vision for the future of WHS. They both demonstrated gratitude for being part of a district with such long-standing high achievement and an emphasis on listening to the opinions of the student body.
“There is a lot to learn as an administrator,” Spring said. “I want to better understand the way that Westfield works, so that we can talk about the things we want to do to make the school even better than it is now.”