Interim principal builds connections

By Aiden Pagnucci, Reporter

October 8, 2025

Interim principal Kate Tesch works on her computer in her new office (room 1034) in the admin hallway on Oct. 10, 2025. New signs were put up on the doors of the rooms for every staff member to improve collaboration and make finding specific teachers easier for both students and staff.

From director of continuous improvement and assessment, to winning the Mentor Award at the Rosie Awards on March 5, Kate Tesch now broadens her leadership responsibilities when she officially stepped into the role of interim principal on Sept. 8, 2025. This new role comes with its own set of challenges which Tesch was able to overcome through personal and professional connections with the rest of the administration team.

Through her 21 years in the district, Tesch has learned which skills are vital for her success as a leader.

“I have always thought it’s super important to make personal and human connections with people,” Tesch said. “That allows me to be more effective when I try to lead lots of people”.

For Tesch, connecting with people is not an option, it’s a necessity. Without the connection, she believes work can’t be done effectively.

“In a leadership role you need the support of those you’re working with, whatever the role is,” Tesch said.

Tesch continues to demonstrate her ability to connect with others as she takes on interim principal, however as new challenges arise, Tesch has learned to not overstep her limitations as a single person.

“As one person it can be easy to try to say ‘ok I’m going to do all those things’ and you simply can’t. And I think here I know that more than I did even before,” Tesch said.

Tesch says that vulnerability empowers the leaders of the school, students, and staff alike.

“Being vulnerable to say, ‘I’m not perfect, you’re not perfect, no one is,’” Tesch emphasized. “So we’re gonna work really hard, we’re gonna do the best we can.”

Finally, Tesch hopes that students understand what it truly means to be a leader, as it is a term commonly misunderstood.

“Sometimes there’s a misidentification of what a leader is and like you need the position to be a leader and I would argue anyone can be a leader in any position. Sometimes that leadership isn’t a title, it’s an action,” Tesch said.

With this in mind, Tesch urges students to continue to do their part in leading our school throughout the years to come.