This year’s graduation is an important milestone, not only for the class of 2011, but also for Principal Paul Wardinski. Four years ago, when this year’s seniors were confused freshmen, Wardinski was also new to WS as he started his first year as principal.

 Now the senior class can look back and see how he has made an effort to improve the school’s physical appearance, it’s capacity as a learning environment, and the student body’s attention to values.

“[Wardinski] is a student advocate: he hopes that all students have a well-rounded high school experience,” said administrator Becky Brandt.

Over the last few years, Wardinski made many efforts to update the antiquated school building. The school now has new benches, new trash cans, and new bathrooms in the sports lobby, soon to be joined by new bathrooms near the cafeteria. Also, he advocated the yearly Beautification Day and helped push WS up the list for renovation.

“[The changes] make the school have more curb appeal,” said freshman Laura Wolinsky.

He has also made efforts to improve academics at WS. He gave teachers with similar subjects common planning periods, so they can integrate class material and coordinate lesson plans, and also gave teachers substitute time to watch the teaching styles in other classrooms. Throughout his time as principal, he has been very open to the creation of new classes, such as a second Applied History class or the Writing Center.

 “He wanted more depth and breadth of courses,” said Brandt.

One of the most recent changes in WS has been the adoption of the PART motivational program. In 2009, Wardinski, as part of the PART Committee, introduced the program through posters, t-shirts for the teachers, and PART cards awarded to students who were witnessed following the values the program advocates.

“He took an approach of empowering teacher leaders so it’s not a top-down directive trying to create the program,” said administrator Jennifer Knox.

Interestingly, these values—Prepared, Accountable, Respectful, and Truthful—can be applied to a wide variety of the situations students find themselves, not only educational. The PART lessons, fully introduced this school year, chose different aspects of these values to involve students in discussions over how to apply them to their lives in school and at home. Wardinski, in his leadership role and involvement in the PART committee, was evidently concerned with the value system students will take away from high school.

 “If you walk into a school, you can say, this is a cozy school, or a friendly school, or, oh God, this is a military institution,” said Brandt. “It has a personality, and that starts with the principal.