A message from the Superintendent

March 29, 2007

Dear Skyline community,

I am thrilled to announce that Lisa Hechtman—a familiar face for many—has been selected as Skyline's new principal out of a pool of 19 strong applicants.

Lisa left her assistant principal position at Skyline in 2004 to become principal at Nathan Hale High School in Seattle. She returns with the same integrity and enthusiasm for education, plus significant leadership experience that will help her elevate student learning.

At Nathan Hale, Lisa served on district committees and participated in national conferences that studied student achievement and educational accountability. She began a program that encouraged families to become more involved in the school and organized a master class schedule to better meet students' needs. Lisa created professional development opportunities for staff. She will leave Nathan Hale with the highest standardized test scores in Seattle. Colleagues including the Chief Academic Officer at Seattle Public Schools describe Lisa as bright, optimistic, clear-thinking, dedicated, funny, and deeply committed to staff and student education. The hiring committee, including Skyline parents and students, agreed.

Above all, Lisa is passionately student centered. She says an educator's primary responsibility is "to mold honorable, thinking, skillful citizens who will positively impact our society." She does that by empowering and motivating students-who are included in decisions about their education and school and challenged in their personal and academic pursuits.

Lisa will literally hit the ground running on July 1-no need to stop to ask directions around campus! She has expressed her heartfelt excitement to return to the hallways where she's formed countless student and staff connections since she began teaching there in 1997.

I am so pleased to welcome Lisa back to the Issaquah School District. We can all look forward to a bright future at Skyline.

Sincerely,


Janet N. Barry, Ed.D.
Superintendent