Dear WHS Students and Families, 

I am honored and excited to be the new Whiting High School principal! I look forward to meeting everyone at our Open House on Sept 8th from 5pm to 7pm here at WHS. At this event, families and students will learn more about their teachers, counselors, principal in addition to learning more about what help we can offer families as a Title 1A school.  

A little relevant background on me: school didn’t come easy for me, in fact, I was/and still am severely dyslexic. It’s not fun. Learning to read is still the hardest thing I have ever done, and I didn’t learn how to do it until the end of 9th grade. Imagine trying to get through primary and secondary while attempting to hide the fact that I was completely illiterate. Thankfully, I eventually got intensive support which helped me begin to read and write. By the time I was in my senior year, I was on a scholarship to university. So when I work with students who don’t love school or don’t want people to notice learning gaps - I can relate more than they know. 

This empathy is why I am excited about Whiting. This is a school where we can learn more at the pace that our students need with the support in place to see success grow, whether success means getting into university, enlistment in the military, or holding down a job that brings them joy during and after high school. In other words, at WHS, we can build what success means to the individual outside of the confines of traditional high school. 

If I was lucky enough to grow up in Laramie, I would have absolutely been a Wizard, which is why It is an honor to be writing this letter as your principal. 

Love, 

Principal Townsend