Since the start of the school year, students entering the building have been greeted by the welcoming faces of our new principal and assistant principal. Principal Sue Bairstow has been in the building for over 20 years in positions from classroom teacher to administrator, while assistant principal Todd Whitten arrived quite recently with a fresh outlook and readiness to learn the culture of the Weston community.  

   “I’m doing my best just to be new, and I’m open to everything,” said Whitten. “I’m trying to take it all in and figure out how I, as a piece of the puzzle, fit into the larger picture of the school.”

   After 26 years in the classroom and in various leadership positions, a masters in educational administration, and some leadership training programs, Whitten feels ready to take on the responsibilities of assistant principal and work to be a positive presence in the school. 

   “My leadership style is definitely one of trying to be sure that people feel good about what’s going on,” said Whitten. “I’m a relationship guy, and I think that most everything can be dealt with by just sitting and talking about it until we find a solution.” 

   Members of the staff worked closely with Whitten to prepare for the students’ return to school. His past experience and good nature have left them confident that he will succeed in this position. 

   “When first meeting him, I thought he seemed organized, level-headed, and very competent,” said math teacher Bailey Fidler. 

   In his short time here, Whitten has already recognized the strong foundation of caring and support present at WHS,  and he hopes to keep building on that strength.

   “One of the things that I value the most about a school is that at its best, it’s a community, and that means that everybody is a contributing member,” said Whitten. “Supporting both the staff and the students in this role involves figuring out how we make this community a little bit better the next day.”

  Students appreciate his efforts to engage with them and are excited for what he is going to bring to the table. 

   “So far, he’s been a very straightforward assistant principal in his leadership who seems to care a lot about the student body,” said junior Bella Fleming. 

   A lot of Whitten’s learning the ropes has come from working closely with Bairstow, who held his position just a year ago. Since she worked at the high school for many years as a teacher and department head prior to becoming assistant principal, Bairstow’s vision for the school has evolved each time she has taken on new responsibilities. This year she aims to ensure that students’ voices are being heard and that students have the support they need to succeed. 

   “I think my main priority is knowing what the priorities of the students are, and just listening to the ideas of all the different stakeholders,” said Bairstow. 

   Every role comes with its fair share of obstacles; however, Bairstow is up for the test and ready to be a voice for the school with the Weston community as a whole. 

   “I think a challenge will be figuring out how to highlight our excellent students, our athletes, our teachers and our staff,” Bairstow said. “It’s a challenge I’m excited for, but also I want to make sure that I do a really good job in all categories.”

   Since Bairstow is a familiar figure in the school, students are more than certain that she will be a great leader. 

   “Ms. Bairstow is determined, persistent, and very clear as a principal, which are all good qualities for being a leader, especially at a high school,” said sophomore Reva Vaddi. “She isn’t afraid to put her foot down and be assertive, which I also think are great qualities.”

   Bairstow and Whitten have enjoyed working side by side thus far and both share the sentiment that Weston is a special place.