ALTON - The team at West Elementary School is dedicated to supporting students.
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Principal TaRael Kee and Assistant Principal Paige Dawdy come together every day to lead West Elementary School and engage teachers and families in the goal of educating kids. This National Principals Month, Kee and Dawdy are reflecting on their service to the Alton Community Unit School District #11 and their efforts to help kids grow.
“I’m thankful to the Alton School community for trusting me to lead this school,” Kee said. “It humbles you in ways that are hard to explain. Every day, I realize that I have the opportunity to serve other people, whether it’s parents, children, teachers…It’s just a humbling experience to know that I’m here to support all these amazing teachers and students and families in the Alton School community.”
Dawdy echoed this. Coming from a speech-language pathology background and combined with Kee’s experience as a school counselor, Dawdy is proud of the work they do together to support the school.
Kee and Dawdy agreed that their collaboration is an important part of boosting student success. They are happy to see the relationships they’re building and the ways West Elementary School keeps growing.
“Whenever we’re able to put our two brains together, we’re able to come up with some pretty awesome solutions for the school,” Dawdy said. “For both of us, relationships always come first, and that’s with all the students, with staff, and also with families. We both think that’s super important, and we also understand that student success is a team effort. We need all of those people working together and on the same page.”
The West Elementary team is always eager to collaborate and engage their students and teachers. Kee and Dawdy agreed that working with these people is the best part of the job.
They enjoy working with students to build them up and help them grow as people. Educators like Kee, Dawdy and the rest of their staff are proud to be at West, and that pride shines through every day.
“I couldn’t even imagine doing the job without the children,” Kee added. “They give me joy. They pick me up. Even if a day is tough, all it takes is that smile from a child. They cheer you up. It’s hard to ever really have a rough day, like a full, complete rough day, with the kids, because everything’s fresh, everything’s new, and they just bring so much energy. It’s a dream job.”
This featured article is sponsored by the Alton Community Unit School District #11. To get your business or organization featured onwww.RiverBender.com, contact us at sales@riverbender.com.
