The BHS administrative team welcomed several new faces this year, with two new faculty members and former assistant principal, Kristy Cleppe, assuming the head principal position. The group has a list of goals to accomplish while also planning to implement the new FISH philosophy into classrooms.

“Our administration team has really changed,” said associate principal Kevin Skillet. “Me and Mr.Shay, the activities director, have both stayed in our positions. We have added Mr.Keibler, who ultimately replaced Mrs.Cleppe. [Keibler] came from Davenport North, where he worked in the student services office as a counselor.”

“I am very much enjoying my new position. It’s been a nice change and I have had great interactions so far, so I’m very excited about the year,” said Conrad Keibler.

A new school also comes with new students, and Keibler admits that getting comfortable with BHS, both staff and students, has been a challenge.

“My challenge is learning people’s names because I came from a school where I stayed for a long time and knew all of the staff, to only knowing a handful of the staff and next to no student names. So just trying to learn those names are going to be huge for me this year.” 

Heading into his third year as activities director, Zach Shay has become popular among the student body, not only for his Pitbull impression but also for his progressive mindset when supporting clubs and sports teams. 

“The activities office is trying to provide the best opportunities for our students, for our spectators and for our staff. [We] want to give our students the best environment [we] can so that they can be successful, ” said Shay. 

And while many at BHS tend to focus on the victories and losses of the activities department, Shay has a different mindset. 

“I mean, we want to win, we want to be at the top in both fine arts and athletics, but at the end of the day, it’s all about the process. It’s about learning how to do things the right way, how to work hard and how to be detailed and organized.”

The most significant change in leadership was the BHS principal position, filled by former assistant principal, Kristy Cleppe, who received plenty of compliments from the administration team following her first week.

“Mrs.Cleppe being named principal and having many years of experience at BHS certainly helps with the transition because you don’t have new leadership at the top,” said Shay. 

“I’ve worked very closely with Mrs.Cleppe for a lot of years and I know that she is the right person for this job. She’s a caring person and cares about students, staff, and people in general, and at the same time she has a great understanding of school leadership and what it takes for a school to achieve at high levels, both academically, socially and in the activities areas. All those dynamics, she’ll do an awesome job as principal.”

Cleppe’s agenda for the school year is optimistic, working towards a positive feeling in classrooms for both students and staff. 

“My biggest hope is to create a culture where everybody feels comfortable and can do their best,” said Cleppe. “I want school to be safe, a place where you learn. But I also think a big part is that we have to have fun. Most of us spend eight hours or more here, we have to have fun and remember that.”

Following Cleppe’s vision of a fun and welcoming school environment, the BHS staff was trained on the FISH philosophy, which originated from a productive Seattle fish market’s business environment. 

“It all surrounds the idea of culture, trying to build a culture of respect, cause that was a big thing that came back on the conditions for learning survey. People define respect differently but being able to have those conversations is really important,” said Cleppe. 

As the school year continues, the administration hopes that the mood of BHS stays positive and that students will have another successful year.