With the start of the school year just around the corner, Jessica Redman, the new principal at Wilson & Young Medal of Honor Middle School, is getting her feet under her.
Redman was previously at Buice Elementary where she was most recently principal. She had been going back and forth between campuses until she was able to settle at the middle school. A meet and greet was recently held for her.
“I got to meet a lot of the staff at the meet and greet and everybody is very nice; very invested in this campus, which says a lot. So I’m very excited to get going,” Redman said.
Executive Director of Leadership Cindy Retana said Redman has been an elementary principal and assistant principal for the past seven years at Buice and has led that campus to “great academic success.”
“Her transition to middle school is well deserved and she is a strong instructional leader who is eager to take on her new role,” Retana said.
Sixth graders arrive Aug. 9 and everyone else starts Aug. 11.
“They’ll (the sixth-graders) get to come in first and … get used to the their surroundings and the change and the transition, and then everyone will come in after that,” Redman said.
She added that the phase in will help her, too.
Redman had been at Buice for seven years, from the time the campus opened. She served as an assistant principal for three and a half years and spent three and a half years as principal.
Redman was a counselor at Gonzales Elementary and before that a teacher.
Except for a year in the Lubbock area, she has spent her career with Ector County ISD.
Redman earned a bachelor’s degree in human development/family studies and a master’s degree in education, both from Texas Tech University. She has a master’s in counseling and her educational leadership certification, both from University of Texas Permian Basin.
Initially, Redman said she really wanted to be a counselor.
“When I graduated, I actually started a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy and decided to switch over to school counseling. When I decided to make that change, I found out that the way that worked is you have to teach before you go into counseling. So I switched over just to get my master’s in education. I decided I would teach and then later go back to school for counseling so that I could be a counselor in the school system, instead of outside of school. So initially, upon starting college, I wanted to be a counselor. And then as you go on, you learn what you like, and what you feel like you’ll be good at, so I eventually changed and went into education,” Redman said.
Making the transition from elementary to middle school is a challenge.
“… But I’m really excited for the challenge. Actually, I love the big kids. I am excited about the fact that a lot of my Buice students I’ll see here at Wilson & Young. So to be able to follow them here and get to be a part of their learning journey again. I’m really excited about that. But you know, it’s a challenge. And I’m looking forward to taking that challenge on,” Redman said.
She replaces Anthony Garcia, who is now principal at Odessa High School.
“Mr. Garcia had a good thing going here already. And so I’m looking forward to just taking that over and kind of keeping all of his momentum going and adding in little touches here and there of the engagement that we have in elementary school. I’m really hoping to bring that into the classrooms here,” Redman added.
She wants to keep the culture going at Wilson & Young.
“… The culture here seems to be in a really good place. I would love to keep it that way and maybe even expand on that a little bit. We had a really good culture at Buice and so I’m hoping that that will be a seamless transition. … They were already on the road to success,” Redman said.
On the accountability side, she’s hoping to see continued growth.
“We won’t know for sure what the accountability looks like until August. But once I find that out, I’m going to have a very specific goal of where I want us to be as far as the continued growth. But Mr. Garcia had already made some leaps and bounds and I’m hoping to come in and continue to do the same. I’m really hoping that I can grow Wilson & Young kind of the same way we did Buice into the higher ranking accountability,” Redman said.
She added that she will be able to ask Garcia for help.
“… We get along great. And in fact, he has been very helpful. He is an open book. I can text him, call him anything I need and he’s been great, along with the staff. The staff is also very welcoming, and like I said, very invested in the campus. That really helps a lot. Also Ms. (Jana) Norman, who is the AP (assistant principal) who was here last year, too and she’s great as well,” Redman said.
The most recent enrollment number for Wilson & Young was 1,250 students in grades six through eight and about 70 teachers. She said that isn’t a big change from Buice with its nearly 900 students and about 40 teachers.
Redman also will have three assistant principals and a dean of students. This year, she will have a principal fellow who will shadow her.
“… I’m used to the big campus and so that part I think won’t be as much of a change and transition. But I’m looking forward to seeing my Buice kids here,” Redman said.
All together, Redman and her husband, Brian, have five children.
This will be Redman’s 16th year in education.
“… There has to be an administrator at all of the home games and the fine arts events. So between the six of us, we’ll be able to attend to those. I’m going to try to go to as much as I can just so that I can be involved and be there for the kids and the teachers and be a support,” Redman said.
She added that this will be a change, but she’s looking forward to it.
“I think that it’s nice when the kids see you at their games, or at their concerts. They feel more supported and that really builds relationships,” Redman said.
At the elementary level, they have PTA programs and parent events.
“But starting in middle school, the kids get more involved in the different fine arts in sports and so they become more invested in school in that way. I think being there will help build the relationships …,” Redman said.
“I’m just looking forward to getting started and seeing where we can go from here,” she added.
