The following email was sent to the WMS community on June 5:

Dear Washington Middle School community,

Ms. Katrina Hunt has been appointed as the next principal of Washington Middle School (WMS). During the selection process, families, staff, and students were asked to provide feedback on the next school leader’s qualities. We heard that the WMS students want a leader who listens to their voices and perspectives; a leader who cares, is hardworking and transparent, and one who will be visible. Parents and staff also want a leader who is approachable, a strong communicator, and an advocate with exceptional leadership skills; a leader who will work to bring the school community together. Ms. Hunt embodies these characteristics, and her scope of experience in both middle and high schools will be a great fit for the WMS community.

Ms. Hunt will be joining WMS from Garfield High School, where she has served as the assistant principal since 2017. As Garfield’s assistant principal, she focused on creating small learning communities to foster strong interdisciplinary connections, learning, and peer collaboration. Her knowledge of what it takes to thrive at Garfield will be valuable as she assesses and works with the WMS community to make sure every student is prepared for high school and beyond.

Her prior leadership experience includes serving as the school transformation facilitator at Aki Kurose Middle School through Johns Hopkins University, where she led major initiatives to improve student academic mastery and acceleration. This work resulted in an 11% increase in student attendance and a 50% decrease in behavioral incidents.

Principal Hunt earned her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Washington; her Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix; her Master’s in Education from City University in Seattle; and her Principal and Program Administrator Certification from the University of Washington’s Danforth Educational Leadership Program.

Principal Hunt’s dedication to collaborative problem solving and her commitment to high quality learning for all students, combined with her transformational leadership experience, will be a great fit for Washington Middle School. Her official start date will be July 1, 2019.

Please join me in welcoming Principal Katrina Hunt to Washington Middle School.

Sincerely,

Denise Juneau
Superintendent