PRAIRIE GROVE -- Prairie Grove Junior High's new principal is going into his 17th year in education and has been at schools with 1,900 students and schools with 200 students.
"I've seen a wide range of everything in between and I think Prairie Grove is the perfect medium," Zach Vest said in explaining why he applied for the Prairie Grove position. "It's a place I've always looked at coming."
Another reason to be a Prairie Grove Tiger, Vest said, is that he grew up a Charleston Tiger.
Vest served as assistant principal at Huntsville High School for the past two years and before that was assistant principal for Lincoln High during 2019-20. He's also worked at Heritage High School in Rogers where he served as an assistant administrator.
Before Rogers, he was at Decatur High School and Western Yell County High School in Havana.
Vest said he prefers a smaller school district because the chain of command is shorter if things need to get done. He wanted to move up from an assistant principal position to a principal's position to have the chance to run his own building.
Coming into a new district, Vest said his first goal is to develop relationships with his staff. He took vacation time before his July 1 start date to come over here to get to know the people he would be working with.
He plans to have an open door policy and will have leadership meetings on Tuesday afternoons and the staff will be invited to participate in those meetings.
"I want everyone who wants to, to be a part of it, to be involved and to be a part of the leadership discussion," Vest said.
Prairie Grove schools will have early dismissal on Wednesdays again this year and Vest said he wants to use that time wisely for his teachers to meet in professional learning communities (PLC).
Vest has experience with professional learning communities from working at Rogers Heritage and said he believes those are the best way to address any learning gaps that have occurred because of covid-19.
Vest also believes in using technology to simplify work and wants to emphasize that at the school.
"The more we can use technology to make our lives easier, I think the teachers appreciate it."
Technology can be used to improve communication but at the same time, Vest said he still wants the human element.
With the opening of a new middle school, Vest said a goal is that people don't think of the junior high building as the "old middle school" but as Prairie Grove Junior High.
"You want to make sure your school is branded so families want to come here," he said. "I do want Prairie Grove Junior High to be a destination school."
Some of his goals are a new junior high school sign and making the front of the building look nicer.
The building may be older but it can be "nice old" and kept to a higher standard, he said.
The junior high has 30 teachers and is projected to have around 320 students for the year. Staff returned Aug. 8 and the first day of school is Aug. 17.
The school will have several new teachers this year, including a new EAST facilitator, new art teacher, new English teacher and two new coaches. In all, seven new hires, Vest said.
Lindsey Biocic will split her duties for the school district and work at the high school half-time and as the junior high's dean of students the other half.
LYNN KUTTER ENTERPRISE-LEADER The front window at the entrance to Prairie Grove Junior High has been updated for the new school year.