Two new additions were recently made to the Athens Drive faculty; over the summer, Veronica Thompson and Steven Katz were hired due to the departures of Assistant Principals Steven Miller and Edna Vann.
In Thompson’s opinion, learning about the students with whom she works and listening as they tell her about their experiences allows her to do her job best.
“I believe that it is crucial for teachers to develop partnerships with students,” said Thompson.
For Katz, the most important strengths required by his job are enthusiasm, organization, leadership, compassion and a great sense of humor. This is a skill set he obtained through education and work experience.
Katz was originally a resident of Broward County of South Florida, and attended Plantation High School with the graduating class of ’93. He went on to attend Maryville College in Tennessee, the University of Georgia and North Carolina Central University (NCCU).
Katz began his career as an educator coaching football and wrestling in Georgia before moving back to Florida, where he taught and coached in Seminole County at Lake Mary High School and Winter Springs High School for six years.
“I was the head football coach at Winter Springs during that time,” said Katz.
As for why he moved to N.C., “We decided to make the move to North Carolina in 2007 to be closer to family that had relocated to the area previously. Since 2007, I was at Green Hope High School where I taught social studies, coached football until 2011, and served as an administrative intern for the 2012-2013 school year,” said Katz.
Thompson also has a strong background in education. She completed undergraduate and graduate studies at NCCU, before going on to serve as a basic skills instructor. Next, she worked as a Wake County special education teacher for a total of five years. She then went into the field of school administration and began working as an assistant principal in 2003 at Holly Ridge Middle in Wake County and Pinecrest High School in Moore County.
Flash forward to present day where Katz and Thompson are both eager to serve the Athens Drive community.
Katz hopes to make many accomplishments while at Athens.
“I hope to get to know the staff and students and build strong relationships that will help us overcome any obstacles to our success,” said Katz.
In addition to building relationships, Katz said he will be working with students A through D, keeping the campus safe and working with teachers to continually improve.
Thompson will be working with students L through R, but her main goals for the year include maximizing classroom participation and enhancing the benefits students get out of their classes.
“I want students to feel personally changed by their participation in the classroom. Understanding the diversity of learning styles and student experiences is key to enhancing this type of participation,” said Thompson.
Katz’s and Thompson’s ambitions go beyond the day-to-day. Katz would like to leave a lasting impact on the students with whom he will be working.
“The most rewarding thing about working with young people is helping them exceed expectations and become effective and compassionate adults,” said Katz.
Thompson also hopes to touch the lives of students.
“Learning is about opening hearts and minds and changing lives for all those involved in
the process. I look forward to getting to know all of you and making this school year one of the best yet!” said Thompson.
Both Thompson and Katz are excited about their new positions at Athens.
“It is truly my pleasure to be an assistant principal at Athens Drive High School,” said Thompson.
Katz mirrored the sentiment.
“I am extremely proud to be a Jaguar!” said Katz.
