West Washington adds assistant principal

The West Washington School Board voted to hire Brent Ingram as a second assistant principal at its regular meeting June 21.

Ingram, who is also the varsity baseball coach, had been a PE and health teacher, said he is looking forward to the new opportunity.

“There had been discussion about adding more support for the teachers and the students,” Ingram said. “(Superintendent) Keith (Nance) knew I had my administrator license and approached me about it and here we are.”

Ingram’s position will be paid for during the 2021-22 and the 2022-23 school year out of the ESSER II funds, emergency relief funds.

Ingram admits that once he got his administrators license he was fearful that he may have to leave West Washington in order to find a position. He is glad that didn’t have to happen.

“I was nervous that something wouldn’t come open at West Washington,” Ingram said. “Not that you ever want someone to leave, but at such a small school there aren’t the same opportunities, but it was great that this opened up, because I didn’t want to leave. I’ve taught at Muncie and Bloomington and when I got here, I felt at home.”

Ingram and fellow assistant principal Brad Mills will share discipline and behavior for K-12.

“The idea behind that is if a teacher needs something there will be an assistant principal there,” Ingram said. “It wouldn’t make much sense for me to be in the high school dealing with three different things and Brad to be in the elementary and not go down there.”

Roles that will be split among the two assistants will include special education conferences, state discipline reports, elementary professional development, elementary school improvement and bus discipline.

The other role would include more probation, home visits, school improvements with the high school and professional development with the high school.

Ingram said he and Mills have a great relationship and he thinks it will be a smooth transition.

“We already work well together and have similar personalities,” Ingram said. “If I was going to step into this role with anyone he is a good one to do it with because he is nice to work with and he’ll help to wean me into this position.”

With every new role, that means leaving an old one. Ingram said he will certainly miss the day-to-day classroom interaction with the students.

“I think the biggest thing will be seeing them everyday” Ingram said. “I will still see them, but you have a little bit of a different relationship with your PE and health teacher than your assistant principal. When the PE teacher needs something you look forward to it, but when the assistant principal needs something it’s usually not a good sign, so that will be new.”

He will get to keep one of his old roles. Ingram will remain Senator varsity baseball coach.

“I was thankful for that,” he said. “A lot of places, taking a role like this, you wouldn’t have been able to keep that role so I am glad to be able to do that.”