The Crusader family welcomed Tisha Lewis as a new assistant principal this school year. She comes with a wealth of knowledge about leading because of her previous master teacher position.
“Being a master teacher helped me to change the trajectory of my career path,” Lewis said. “Just being in that leadership role made me want to dig deeper into being a school lead as opposed to being a teacher. I was also a leader but just in a different respect.”
Lewis was an ELA master teacher at Spain Elementary-Middle School. Now she is at King ready to take on anything that comes her way.
“With the master teacher role, I was able to acquire skills during my time in that position that helped me to transition to the high school experience,” Lewis said. “For example, supporting teachers no matter what grade level. In that respect, it was a smooth transition.”
In order to fill the position, DPSCD administration had to follow hiring protocols. There was a committee of King stakeholders.
“We had two alumni members, we had two teachers, and we had members of our instructional leadership team, and two parents that sat down on that committee and we ask for two students,” principal Damian Perry said.
One of Lewis’ former elementary students, ninth grader Khomph Beard, was shocked to find out she is an administrator at King. Beard is proud of Lewis’ accomplishment from a teacher to a high school administrator.
“She never gave up and kept teaching until she got to where she wanted to be,” Beard said.
The process to get the right administrator includes parental input. Jecinda Jones-Bettie was on the committee that interviewed Lewis and thought highly of her.
“She just helps regardless of someone’s position,” Jones-Bettie said. “It could be a janitor or a teacher. She doesn’t look at the position. To her we all are one, so she will help in the lunchroom. She said, ‘I roll up my sleeves and I do what I have to do’ and that’s what stuck out to me.’”
