Shawn Duhon began his role as the new principal of Timber Creek High School on July 1st and says his door will always be open. Duhon said he joined Timber Creek to create an environment of excellence and so we asked him how he plans on doing so.
How do you plan on creating an environment of excellence?
“The plan has to work with everybody being on the same page. Everybody has to trust one another. You have to have the three A’s to make that happen in order to achieve greatness. You have to have the academics, the athletics, and the arts. And so my job as the principal is to make sure that our entire campus is trusting and believing in the three A’s to make things work. Kind of like a will on a vehicle. It’s got a role. It’s got to work with itself, with the axle, and with the motor in the engine. So we’re putting all those components together to make sure that as a school of greatness, we’re achieving that through the three A’s, the academics, the arts, and the athletics,” Principal Duhon said.
Why Timber Creek?
“People want to know why are you leaving a great campus, a great school, a great district? And my thought was that if you start to begin to get complacent in your line of work or in your job and things are too comfortable, then it’s time to make a change,” Duhon said. “And so I felt like that Timber Creek had an opportunity to be a best campus, a best district. One of the best schools in the state. And so I accepted that challenge”
How do you plan on helping students transition from online to in-person?
“Well, I don’t know if it’s going to be easy. We want to try to make a learning environment that’s safe and comfortable. I want kids to know that if you want to wear a mask, let’s do that. If you don’t want to or if you don’t want to wear a mask, don’t wear one. If you want to social distance, do that. We’re going to try to provide that environment here on the campus to where we are making you feel safe and comfortable. It is going to be difficult for kids that have not been in the building for two years. I get that. We understand that. So whatever we can do to help ease that that that stress and that anxiety. We’re going to try to do that. And so the transition will not be easy. It will be difficult. But we want to try to make it as healthy and safe as possible,” Duhon said.
How will you communicate with student-led advocacy organizations?
“I will create that environment where kids can feel comfortable and safe and having that voice. And so, you know, coming to me, talking to me about their concerns or about ideas, things that can help us grow and learn from one another,” Duhon said. “That’s what we won’t want to do and that’s what we’re about. And so I’m trying to make sure the kids and students, even parents and teachers, understand that I have an open-door policy. And that open-door policy is to help you feel comfortable and safe. And let’s talk about ideas. Let’s share those thoughts. Let’s have let’s discuss your concerns to where we are all learning together.”
What will communication to parents and students regarding emergency situations be like?
“We’ll have immediate communication from the district themselves, from Keller ISD. We will have our campus communication that we have with teachers, with parents, and students through direct email. And so we have those different types of social media outlets that we can let our community know immediately what’s going on and what may be the emergency. And, you know, want to make sure that our kids are safe,” Duhon said.
View the full interview with Duhon below: