At the end of this school year, Mr. Coons will unfortunately be retiring from his position as principal of Central Kitsap High School to focus on overseeing the construction of the new high school. Two people are stepping forward to fill his voluminous shoes, current vice-principals Gail Danner and Craig Johnson. They will serve as co-principals for the foreseeable future.

“I think it’s going to be exciting, it’s going to be fun,” said Johnson, when asked how he felt about his new position. Danner agreed, saying, “I’m very excited. It’s really a dream come true for me to be a high school principal, something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time. Maybe not lifelong, but certainly a dream of my adult working life.”

When asked what they owe their success as vice-principals to, Danner responded by saying, “I think being surrounded by really great people and people to learn from and work with, to be able to develop my skills in a supporting environment, and truly just a lot of hard work.” Johnson said, “Having consistent goals around students’ success, and being really willing to accept and listen to really good ideas from the people around me” were all helpful to his success in his career.

Danner did not expect to have this position when she started her career nine years ago. “My dad was a principal when I was a kid, and I just never thought that that would be a role, as a child, that I would have.”

Johnson certainly feels that his upcoming job will be a serious one, saying that, “Being the principal is a big responsibility, and I don’t think it’s an expectation, it’s more of a privilege and there’s a lot of people here who really count on us. I would say I really look forward to the responsibility.”