The Henderson County Board of Public Education named instructional coach Joni Allison as the new assistant principal at West, replacing new Principal Shannon Auten on Monday night at its regularly scheduled January meeting.

Allison will begin her new role starting in early February. Allison is not new to West. She previously taught students learning English as a second language and for the past two years has worked as an instructional coach supporting the faculty and mentoring beginning teachers.

“What I really love about high school is that we are your last step. Once you leave this building you are in a lot of ways making decisions for yourself,” Allison said. “ What’s exciting is that we put in that last little bit before you leave. We want to make sure that when you graduate from West Henderson that you are ready for whatever you do or decide to pursue”

Allison spent the first 11 years of her teaching career working with the English language learners in Los Angeles and Western North Carolina and has worked as an instructional coach at the high school and middle school levels.

Allison said she has been passionate about her career working with technology and educational research, and her new role brings new responsibilities. She plans to continue bringing her feedback to teachers on their instruction. One of her core values is personal growth, and it is illustrated by her career.

“We all can get better. Even the best of us can continue to get better. Part of what I do now is to help people to get better, and I will continue to do so as an administrator,” Allison said. “I will be able to give support to teachers to effect change. We are a community here, and I want to be a part of that community so that we can all be working together toward a vision, creating a vision and working to get to it.”

By Brandan Naef