PORT TOWNSEND — The new principal of Blue Heron Middle School plans to spend one-quarter of her time in classrooms observing the teachers and students with the purpose of increasing the school’s quality of instruction.
“From what I’ve heard from the teachers, they really want to focus on the instructional practice in the classroom,” said Diane Lashinsky, who moved from Durango, Colo., to take the reins at the school earlier this month.
“That will be the key to making our school better.”
Lashinsky, 55 — who served most recently as a high school principal in Durango — takes over for Tom Kent, who served as interim principal during the 2011-2012 school year.
She is part of a large management change at the Port Townsend School District.
Two of the three principals and the superintendent are new to their jobs this year.
“We all work well together,” she said of the new team, which consists of new Grant School Elementary Principal Mary Sepler — who had worked as a teacher at the school — returning high school Principal Carrie Ehrhardt and new Superintendent David Engle.
“I think the schools are really good here, but there are ways we can make them better.”
This begins with the focus on instruction, she said.
“There is a lot for kids to deal with,” Lashinsky said.
“They are faced with so many distractions, instruction can get lost.”
So starting with the next school year — which begins Sept. 4 — Lashinsky will have a high profile in the classrooms, moving in and out of classrooms and observing the educational process.
The fact that her visits will be routine will cut down on any potential disruption, she said.
“If a principal never goes into a class, there is always a ‘who are you and why are you here?’ question, but I’ll be going in and out all the time, so they’ll get used to me,” she said.
One of the reasons Kent gave for not seeking the permanent principal’s position was the required time outside of the school day, saying he needed to work until 10 p.m. every day.
Lashinsky is aware of the time required for the job but feels that her presence in the classroom is necessary to evaluate the programs.
“Being a principal is hard work,” she said. “There is a lot of pressure.
“But my primary duty as a principal is to maintain the quality of the instruction, so I plan to schedule this time.”
Lashinsky also plans to host regular meetings from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. the first Wednesday of each month where parents can drop in to ask questions and provide feedback.
Lashinsky doesn’t expect to do a lot of talking at these sessions, saying, “They are mostly an opportunity for me to listen.”
Lashinsky was born and raised in Pennsylvania and has spent much of her career in the Northwest and Southwest portions of the nation.
She said the regions are quite different meteorologically and culturally, but there are similarities in their remarkable landscapes and the influence of Native American culture.
One of the things she likes most about Port Townsend “is that I can smell the salt water.
“When I moved here, I made a commitment,” she said.
“This is a new chapter in my life, this is an excellent opportunity for me, and I’m optimistic about the possibilities.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
