Atwater Principal Will Lead the High School This School Year

Atwater Elementary School Principal Tim Kenney will serve as the interim principal of Shorewood High School this school year.

The need to hire a principal came about last month, when SHS Prinicipal Matt Joynt decided to take a job in the Mequon-Thiensville School District. Because only one applicant was able to participate in the community input process to hire a new principal, the interview panel decided to conduct a new principal search and hire an interim principal for the upcoming school year.

Shorewood Superintendent Dr. Marty Lexmond said Kenney is an ideal choice to fill the position, as he served as the high school's assistant principal before taking the principal position at Atwater.

“When Tim’s name was brought up as a permanent replacement for Matt Joynt earlier this summer, numerous SHS staff members expressed their support,” Lexmond said in a district news release. “The district and community are very lucky Tim has stepped up to provide leadership at SHS.” 

With the principal vacancy at Atwater, the district will hire an interim Atwater principal for the 2013-2014 school year. Currently, the district is identifying two to four internal and external candidates who are interested and could be a good fit for the school.

After the candidates are identified, a parent and staff input session is set for Aug. 19 from 5-7 p.m. in the Atwater Library. During the session, candidates will answer prepared questions and have an opportunity to engage with the public. Parents and staff that attend the session will be asked to provide the administration with feedback on each candidate, which will be used to make the final selection. 

“Staff and parent input are an important part in the hiring process, and we welcome the feedback,” Lexmond said. 

In addition to the SHS principal and Atwater principal roles, the district has also been busy hiring for other positions. Matt Jones, current SHS special education teacher and basketball coach, was named the interim assistant principal at SHS. That job was previously held by Matt Harris, who has been hired as the principal at Shorewood Intermediate School.

According to Lexmond, Kenney considered the recommendations made by many staff members and ultimately chose Jones because of his ability to quickly develop relationships with students, his follow-through and responsiveness with parents.

Both Jones and Kenney will begin their new roles immediately, with interim contracts being brought to the School Board later this month for consideration.