Principal Interview

Skylar A Tomblin
West Virginia State University
Educ 650- Internship

Date of Interview: 6/17/2020

Ms. Sue McComas, Assistant Principal at Lincoln County High School
1. Tell me about your department/area.
Well I’m technically the Assistant Principal and another lady was recently hired as well as the
“9th and 10th grade and special education assistant principal” but we really just work together. If
she sees that I’m busy and needs help, she takes care of it. Same goes for me. I guess now I’m
supposed to be over 11th and 12th grades but that doesn't happen. I still do 504s and IEPs. I can't
really tell you what I do because it changes from day to day. As an administrator, you’ll be the
same way. Whatever needs to be done, you do it.

2. Tell me about your job duties and responsibilities.

I am responsible for monitoring attendance, IEP, 504 and SAT meetings, reviewing lesson plans,
observing and evaluating teachers, student schedules, hiring, assessing data. There’s many more
duties I’m responsible for in and out of my job description.

3. What are your strengths?

I am the only administrator that has been at Lincoln County High since it opened in 2006. I think
that makes me a good resource for the principal and other assistant principal who have just
completed this first year here at the school. Organization is huge for me and that would be my
greatest strength as an assistant principal.

4. What are your goals?

Above all, my main goal is to simply do whatever I can to ensure the students are successful and
prepare them for life outside of high school. There are many small goals within that, but that's
the broad, overall goal of mine as an administrator.

5. What are your present major concerns?

The covid-19 pandemic, plans for the upcoming school year, how we are going to keep students
safe if schools are reopened.

6. What future concerns are anticipated?

I believe that the pandemic will be a concern of ours for a very long time. I'm not sure that
schools will ever really be the same.

7. What have you done to improve this school’s capacity to better meet the needs of students?
I really focus on the CTE program. Many of our students here don’t have the financial resources
to go to college, or they simply don’t want to go. With that in mind, I have put it on myself to
ensure they have some type of skill set to rely on if their plan is not to further their education. It's
all about students being successful no matter what path they choose to take.

8. What do you need, expect, or hope for from your principals?

Be compassionate for our students, they need love and support more than the discipline that most
principals think high school students need.

9. From your experience from working with your district/school, what advice would you give
a new principal?
These students need to be loved. If you only care about discipline or high test scores, you’re in
the wrong place.

10. What activities would you suggest I undertake during my internship to better understand
and/or work with your department/area?
I think you have been successful in many activities during your internship, but whatever PD
opportunities you see come