I am both honored and excited to be the principal of Lyal Burkholder Middle School. I would like to take this opportunity to briefly introduce myself. I am originally from Wisconsin where I grew up playing hockey and helped with the family commercial fishing business.

 

My teaching experience started in 1995 at Dell H Robison Middle School, where I taught both Orchestra and an English/Reading recovery class. While I was there, I took an active role as a leader on different committees and coached girls basketball for five years. I was appointed to Dean of Students at Brinley Middle School in February 2005 and then moved to Bob Miller Middle School in 2007. While at both middle schools, I took every opportunity to learn and grow as a leader. In January 2008, I was named the Assistant Principal at Liberty High School where I became the curriculum administrator. Three years ago, I moved to Desert Oasis High School where I continued my role in curriculum. Both high schools during that time saw a rise in graduation rates and an increase in college and career readiness.

 

My experiences in both middle and high schools have allowed me to witness a great deal of successes. My leadership philosophy developed on the belief that through collaboration, all students can achieve. I will work closely with teachers to ensure high quality instruction is occurring and will provide teachers the necessary resources to accomplish their goals. Furthermore, students must be provided the opportunity to participate in sports, activities, and clubs, to develop both physically and socially. Finally, to truly be successful, Burkholder must be a safe learning environment for all students.

 

Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to serve the Jaguar community as Principal. I look forward to the many years of success and continued achievements for all students at Lyal Burkholder Middle School.

 

Sincerely,

 

Chris Hermes