In the public eye: Assistant Principal supports positive culture at Manchester School

Editor’s note: This is another in an ongoing series of Windham and Raymond town employee profiles.

By Ed Pierce

Great educators can help students and inspire them in ways that change the trajectory of their lives. Kristal Vargo-Ward of Manchester School in Windham is such a person.

Kristal Vargo-Ward has serves as the Assistant
Principal at Manchester School in Windham
for the past nine years and is responsible for
safety, student learning, teaching, supervision,
hiring processes, and working to ensure the
school has a positive culture.
SUBMITTED PHOTO   

As a former teacher and the school’s Assistant Principal for the past nine years, Vargo-Ward is responsible for all aspects of the educational environment at Manchester School including safety, student learning, teaching, supervision, hiring processes, and working to ensure they have a positive school culture which involves positive communication and collaboration with families and the community.

“The best thing that I do on a daily basis is interact with and support students and staff. I still consider myself a teacher and apply my teaching experience into my work every day,” Vargo-Ward said. “I love going into classrooms and interacting with students, and they love sharing what they are learning and why it is important. I take every opportunity to support them by sharing a strategy or asking a question to prompt their thinking or understanding. Sometimes I do get lost in the moment and have to remember I am not the teacher. I also love supporting teachers and working collaboratively with them to develop authentic and engaging learning experiences for students.”

According to Vargo-Ward, the greatest misconception people may have about her job is that the Assistant Principal is the person who handles all the discipline and that her position is strictly an office job, she said.

“Though there are days I am in the office more than I would like, my goal is to be visible in classrooms and throughout the school communicating, collaborating, and providing support and feedback to staff and students,” Vargo-Ward said. “The district’s strategic plan and vision lays the foundation for all we do. What I get to do with my partner principal and staff is make this a living and breathing vision that supports teaching and learning so that all students grow and achieve at the highest level possible, as well as grow socially and emotionally.”

She was born and raised in Maine and began attending Windham schools in Fourth Grade at Manchester/Arlington School and graduated from Windham High School. After high school, she went to the University of Southern Maine and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in teaching and a master’s degree in educational leadership.

“I began my teaching career at Windham Primary School and taught Grades 1 and 2 for the first nine years, and then moved to Manchester School for two years and then to the middle school for 13 years,” Vargo-Ward said. “I had been a teacher at Manchester 20 years ago as well as a student when it was open concept in the 1980s. The close-knit community and culture of Manchester School is one where everyone feels a sense of belonging and most importantly part of a family that lifts each other up. The students are at the heart of all we do.”

Through the years, she’s experienced many memorable moments at Manchester School, but one that stands out for her took place during her first two years there.

“I remember walking by a classroom one evening during conferences to see a student, their teacher, and their parents and grandparents all sitting together in the room celebrating the student’s strengths and setting goals together,” Vargo-Ward said. “Educating the whole child involves the student knowing themselves as learners, but also knowing they have the support of their teacher, family, and community. This is why I am proud to work in the RSU and why I have chosen to serve in the community I had the pleasure of being educated in.”

The most important thing she’s learned while working for Manchester School is that learning is a lifelong process, Vargo-Ward said.

“The most important learning is done in the company of others as we learn from and collaborate with each other,” she said. “Working at Manchester has allowed me to see this learning in action among students and staff. I have said to myself that if I think I have learned everything there is to learn in education, it is time to retire. I am not quite ready for that yet, as I still have more to learn and more to share with others in my position as a school leader.” <