Waugh to Lead Both Hollister Early Childhood Center and Elementary School

The Hollister School District has tabbed the Principal of the Early Childhood Center to also take a similar role with Hollister Elementary.

The Press Release from the Hollister School District is below:

The Hollister R-V School District is excited to announce that the current Early Childhood Center Principal, Mr. Mark Waugh, will expand his leadership role to include Hollister Elementary School. Waugh will assume this new role upon the retirement of the current Elementary Principal, Dr. Nina Henson at the end of the 2021-2022 school year.

Mr. Waugh has served as an administrator for Hollister Schools for 11 years and has been the Principal of the early childhood center for 10 years. He has 21 years of experience in public education.

Hollister Schools Superintendent, Dr. Brian Wilson, says that good leadership is about making the lives of those around you better and Mr. Waugh has exemplified this throughout his tenure at Hollister Schools. “He has created a building culture and climate in which great teachers stay, work hard and grow in efforts to benefit the children of Hollister Schools,” Wilson states. “With Mr. Waugh's experience and skill set, the district is excited about providing him an opportunity to expand his leadership and impact even more students and staff.”

Mrs. Sandy Leech, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning shares that bringing the elementary and early childhood center under one leader is a good move for the Hollister District as it will help create more consistent practices from one building to the next, which in turn better prepares all of the district’s K-5 students and will help students more easily transition from one building to the next as they see Mr. Waugh's friendly face. “Mr. Waugh is a great fit for this role first and foremost because he is a champion for kids and truly wants to see ALL students be successful,” Leech says. “He is always smiling, upbeat, and excited to serve our students and community. His attitude and student-centered leadership make him the perfect person to bring both buildings together.”

While Mr. Waugh has not officially assumed his new role, he has already begun to look to the 2022-2023 school year and providing servant leadership for the new team that he will be serving.  His short-term goals include identifying the strengths of each building and continuing to build upon the great things that are already taking place. There will also be a focus on building and grade level transitions as well as community outreach and parental involvement to support students and families. “Short-term goals open the doors for long-term visions,” Waugh shares. “As we focus on climate and culture while advocating for student achievement, our team will continue to focus on components of our curriculum to allow for a clear scope and sequence of instruction across all grade levels.  We want to provide students the best educational opportunity possible while also providing teachers a well-defined focus and direction.” Waugh goes on to say, “I am looking forward to working alongside an amazing team of educators and staff whose primary focus is to care for and support the success of our young Tigers and their families throughout their entire elementary career.”

The Board of Education is currently seeking an additional assistant principal to work alongside Waugh and current assistant principals, Mrs. Kilgore (Hollister Early Childhood Center) and Dr. Daniels (Hollister Elementary).