Two members of The Talon staff spent a day shadowing Principal Chip Greenwell on Oct 2, and it showed just how much he does for the people at Heritage to keep everyone safe and help students achieve their goals.

Greenwell’s morning began long before 8:20am, and he spent most of the first half of the day in important meetings. Then he went to lunch duty to make sure kids are behaving and not skipping school or walking the halls.

After lunch, Greenwell attended a monthly finance check-in meeting and the weekly principals’ meeting, where our administrators discussed logistical procedures that help keep things running smoothly even during school-wide testing or in the case of a potential threat to our safety.

Being the principal of a comprehensive high school such as Heritage means that Greenwell takes on a lot of important roles, such as making sure the staff and students are safe and making sure students get what they need to be successful.

Greenwell spends much of his time walking the halls building relationships with students. He wants students to value their education. “How are you supposed to be successful in life if you don’t go to class?” said Greenwell.

The idea of active participation extends beyond the classroom. As Greenwell says, “If you see something, say something.” This mantra encourages us to take responsibility not only for our education but also for our community, ensuring that we support one another in creating a safe and thriving environment.

“I’ve been at four districts and eight schools, and this is by far the strongest team I’ve worked with,” Greenwell said.

After shadowing Greenwell all day, it is obvious that we need to respect our principal. He does so much for us to make sure we have a good day at school and to help us want to be at school to learn so we can be successful in life.