Vashon welcomes new vice principal

Sabrina Kovacs with open arms

Lily Isakson-Bell, Reporter

In December, Danny Rock stepped down as principal of Vashon High School. John Erickson, then vice principal, stepped up into his place as interim principal. However, this left the school with a need for a new vice principal. This is where Sabrina Kovacs entered the equation. Despite a 12-hour commute from Greenwood that she made with her dog, Kovacs is here. Luckily, as of mid-winter break, she no longer needs to make the long trek.

“Now I live eight minutes away from the school and am very grateful to live on the island and not have to spend so much time in the car,” Kovacs said.

Kovacs got her start in teaching after her oldest son had a horrible kindergarten experience in Seattle.

“[The school] made me so sad. They just got worksheets everyday and the teacher just wanted them to be quiet. The teacher actually taped a little girl’s mouth shut one day. It was really hard to witness all of that. I remember going to the principal and being like ‘What’s going on? This isn’t up to par,’” Kovacs said. “The only thing that I could think of was ‘I’m going to become a teacher.’”

Kovacs has been enjoying her time as assistant principal at VHS so far.

“I really like Mr. Erickson. I think we’re a great team,” Kovacs said. “Honestly… the teachers and the people who work here have been super welcoming. It’s just like you’re a new kid at school; you can walk into a school building as an adult and have it be clique-y and weird and it doesn’t feel that way here. I feel appreciated and welcome.”

On top of Kovacs’ enthusiasm about the community at VHS, she is also incredibly excited about the academic aspect of it too.

“I love school… I love learning. I love teaching. I am excited about the opportunity to always be in this space of continuous improvement,” Kovacs said.

Kovacs is very excited to help students and teachers alike better themselves. This is one of her favorite things about being in an administrative position.

“We have great teachers that have room to grow. We have great students that have room to grow. We have great all kinds of people. We’re never done learning,” Kovacs said. “When I get the chance to facilitate new learning and see people get it, whether it’s students or adults, and then have them change and grow as a result of that, that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside,” Kovacs said.

Erickson is also excited about what Kovach is bringing to the table, also agreeing that he and Kovacs make a good team.

“What I’m looking forward to with Kovacs is to have an opportunity to have a committed and passionate and wildly intelligent partner to take on some of these big, big challenges that we have,” Erickson said.

Kovacs has many ideas for how to make VHS the best learning experience that it can be, and she’s already taking initiative.

“I would say the biggest issue that I’ve seen so far is that not everyone gets the same experience,” said Kovacs. “There’s a lot of reasons behind that, and I am starting to work hard to tighten up systems and processes to make things more consistent and predictable, but also to ensure that everyone has the same positive, high quality learning experience. Not just some people, but all people.”

Finally, Kovacs wants the student body to know that she’s there for them.

“[I want the students to know] that I’m approachable, that I care a lot, and I strive to strike a balance between being really kind and positive and friendly, and holding really high expectations. So I’m always trying to walk that line,” Kovacs said.