The Governing Board approved our Ms. Kathryn Wright as the new Principal here at JCMS. Ms. Wright has been the interim principal since the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year. We are excited she is going to remain a Coyote with us!!
Check out her latest letter about herself and her plans for our amazing students!
Greetings Parents, Guardians, and Students:
My name is Kathryn Wright and I am honored to be part of the Joyce Clark Middle School family. Sierra Vista has been my home for over 30 years and I am a product of the Sierra Vista Unified School District. My family moved to Sierra Vista in 1992 where I began my education in SVUSD at Bella Vista Elementary School. I then went on to Apache Middle School, and, finally, graduated from Buena High School in 2002. Upon graduation, I attended Cochise College with a focus on Criminal Justice studies. After two years with Cochise College, I transferred and graduated from Arizona State University in 2006 with a Bachelors of Science in Justice Studies. Since middle school, I always wanted to help children and thought of several careers within the Criminal Justice field. However, after graduation from ASU, I decided on social work and began my career with the State of Arizona’s Child Protective Services unit as both a Case Manager and Investigator. This position gave me an in depth appreciation of family, family challenges, and the privilege that an education can provide.
In 2009, I decided to return to school in pursuit of a Master of Arts in Education. I was able to work as a long-term substitute for one semester before being hired by Apache Junction High School. I taught 9th and 10th grade English with the benefit of working as the English co-teacher with the amazing Exceptional Student Services department. I also taught honors courses and a justice course. My teaching experience was amazing and I wanted to take that experience to the next level. I then pursued a Master of Education in Education Administration. I was lucky enough to interview with Sierra Vista Unified School District and get hired as the Instructional Technology Coordinator. Over the past six years, I have been able to help build our District’s one-to-one program, developed training for our teachers to help integrate technology into day to day lessons and activities, and led the technology specials at the elementary level. Throughout this wonderful adventure, I have met and worked with the amazing staff of Sierra Vista Unified School District and was honored to further my partnership with Joyce Clark Middle School as interim principal during the 2022-23 school year.
As an educational leader, I strongly believe that by establishing a collaborative learning environment with high expectations we build positive relationships that support academic and social growth. In order to move forward and upward, these positive relationships with students and families are vital. I look forward to building an environment in which families and students are actively involved with activities both curricular and extracurricular throughout the school year. Parents, your influence is invaluable and our students need support in today’s society on all fronts. They face growing challenges with today’s social media stressors, access to vaping paraphernalia, and mental health concerns. Working to face these challenges with our students is something I am willing and able to face but as we know, “it takes a village” and working together will build a stronger foundation for our students as they explore their personal and academic selves.
Currently, Joyce Clark Middle School is standing at a C letter grade from the State of Arizona. This does not reflect the amazing students or staff of JCMS. Throughout my interim, I have learned a lot about our systems, procedures, instructional practices, and most importantly the people. We have the bones of an amazing organization. I am committed to strengthening our core and building our school’s academics, not only in the eyes of the state’s letter grade, but our community’s, as well. I am eager to continue building relationships with students, staff, and families and focused on our commitment to Inspiring Excellence in All. As we continue this journey together, our focus will be on:
Establishing systems and procedures
Effective discipline designed to improve behavior and academics
Building 21st Century Skills through the use of technology.
I am excited about joining this community and partnering with you in ensuring the success of our Coyotes!
Sincerely,
Kathryn Wright
Principal