Principal Danny Rocks VHS community by

announcing resignation

By Lila Cohen, Editor-in-Chief

Last Thursday, December 8, in an email to the community, superintendent Dr. Slade McSheehy announced that Danny Rock had resigned as VHS principal. Rock has worked in education for the past 20 years, 9.5 of which have been within the Vashon Island School District. He is now moving on to a career in software product management.

Rock looks back on his time as principal and the legacy he hopes to have left.

“I would hope [that when] folks [reflect on my] time here [they know that,] even when I made difficult decisions that they didn’t agree with, my North Star was [always] what was best for students… I would hope that people could see clearly that I did care about them. I care about my staff, [and] I care about my students,” Rock said.

Moving forward, assistant principal John Erickson will be stepping up as interim principal. The district has posted the assistant principal position and will begin interviewing candidates soon. According to McSheehy’s email, after a new VHS assistant principal has been appointed, the district will release Rock from his contract.

“I am looking forward to the leadership, dedication, and commitment to the Vashon Promise that Mr. Erickson will bring to the students, staff, and families in our district,” McSheehy said in Friday’s email to the community.

Rock echoed this sentiment, and feels that he is leaving VHS in good hands.

“Mr. Erickson is going to do a great job as interim principal, and I hope we find a really good assistant principal. And then I’m excited for the school to get the chance to do a more thorough search for the next principal, and go through that process,” Rock said. “It’s a really helpful exercise as a whole school community to figure out who we are, what we want, [and] what the next chapter of our school will look like.”