Volume CXII, Issue #1
The student news publication of Walnut Hills High School
Friday September 8, 2017
Chambers takes charge
SYDNEY RHONE/CHATTERBOX
New interim building principal John Chambers stands in front of the Sulsar steps. Chamber’s main philosophy for the school year is focused on balance and evolution, and he hopes to implement these ideas into his plans for the WHHS community. Shiv Malhotra, ‘20 Ibrahim Munir, ‘19 During the past several years, WHHS has evolved in many ways. From the recent renovation to the addition of the tennis courts, there have been many changes made both to the building itself, and the hardworking people inside it, that make WHHS one of the most sought after schools in the state. Over this past summer, the school went through a major staff transformation, with the addition of more than 20 new faculty members, and a new head principal for the first time in over a decade. Jeff Brokamp, the school principal for 10 years, announced that he was going to retire at the end of the 2016-17 school year, leading to a lengthy search for a new principal. However, when the original choice for principal dropped out, the WHHS Local School Decision Making Committee chose John Chambers to become the Interim Building Principal for the ’17-’18 school year. Chambers has received many years of administrative experience in other Cincinnati-area schools, as well as at WHHS. He was the Assistant Principal for two years at Fairview-Clifton German Language School, Principal for three
years at Rothenberg Preparatory Academy, Assistant Principal for two years at Aiken High School and an administrator for a year at Western Hills High School. Chambers has spent the last nine years at WHHS as an Assistant Principal. Chambers is now spending his tenth year at WHHS as the Interim Building Principal. Chambers describes his current role of Interim Building Principal as someone who was chosen to lead the school in the direction they want to see. Chambers’ contract lasts one year, which differs from the standard principal contract of two years. However, Chambers
has the exact same responsibilities as the principal, and his title could be changed to official principal by the school any day. For the next school year, he may permanently hold the position or a new candidate could be chosen. Chambers likes to use the term “evolve” as his mantra for the school year. When asked what he plans on improving or changing, he says that “there’s not a lot of things that necessarily need to be changed. We have to evolve our academic programs and all our extracurriculars with the evolution of the student. My number one goal is to match the academic pro-
grams to the needs of the student.” More specifically, Chambers wants to see better alignment with Junior High and AP courses. His hope is that teachers of AP courses can collaborate with teachers of the lower grade levels and incorporate strategies and new curriculum into the junior high classes to encourage more students to option for the challenging AP courses and by making them feel more prepared for them as well. “Students should evolve as they go through WHHS, and should feel confident about those upper level classes.” said Chambers. Chambers feels that this is
“We have to evolve our academic programs and all our extracurriculars with the evolution of the student. My number one goal is to match the academic programs to the needs of the student.” -John Chambers
necessary since some students at WHHS steer away from AP courses because of their difficulty. Another issue that many students have witnessed firsthand is the overcrowding of the school. Chambers feels that WHHS is a “hot ticket,” and said that the school board and faculty have been having conversations about this issue. Chambers recognizes there is no easy solution; he and the school board want to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity of attending the school and to not cut off certain groups. However, no ideas of solving the overcrowding issue “are off the table.” But, before Chambers commits to any change, he wants to make sure that WHHS “is striking a balance, and that if a student goes to a Cincinnati Public School and passes Walnut Hills’ entrance exam, they get in. After that point, there is no saying no, making sure that all of the families in the city of Cincinnati are served before other students outside the city.” At the end of the day, Chambers hopes his ideas of balance and evolution guide his decisions for the school year and are able to leave a lasting impact on the WHHS community.