When Bill Westphal, principal of Canby High School, graduated from the University of Colorado with a history degree some 35 years ago, he didn’t really consider a career in school administration.
Instead, he first entertained the idea of law school, then tried out the corporate world, working for a bank in southern California for two years.
Even after he became a high school teacher in 1970, the prospect of becoming a principal wasn’t on Westphal’s mind.
But after a little prodding from his colleagues at North Douglas High School in southern Oregon, Westphal shifted gears and took the helm of the school.
Twenty-three years and four schools later – including at CHS, Sweet Home High School, NDHS, and one year as an associate principal at South Eugene High School – Westphal has been named the 2003 Oregon High School principal of the year by the Confederation of Oregon School Administrators.
The COSA award comes just as Westphal, 59, is bringing this chapter of his 30-year career in education to a close. He’ll officially retire from the Canby School District on June 30, 2003, but he’ll continue to serve as CHS principal for the 2003-04 school year through a personal service contract with the district.
Nominated by the school district, Westphal received the principal of the year award for his accomplishments during his long career. Criteria for selection included educational leadership, resolving complex problems, developing self and others, and community service.
One of Westphal’s crowning achievements during his five- year stint at Canby High has been the establishment of the school’s new Applied Technology Center, which opened for students and teachers in December 2002. Combining hands-on and project-based learning with traditional academics, the $4 million facility houses the school’s science, technology, computer, engineering, and communications classes, among others.
Such a high-tech center, Westphal said, is one way Canby is helping prepare students for today’s job market; a market he said has sometimes changed faster than public education curriculum over the years.
“One of the biggest changes is that the employment for kids today is very different,” he said. “Preparing kids for the challenges of today’s society can be hard. Schools probably haven’t changed enough.”
But while the employment field of the 21st century may look different than that of earlier generations, Westphal said kids, for the most part, have remained the same.
“Kids are not a lot different,” he said. “Dress and language, maybe, but I think there’s always a certain maturity that kids always bring to school.
”And, I’ve never met a student who didn’t want to be successful.”
The students, of course, are what Westphal has enjoyed most about his career as a principal. He said the highlight of his average day, amidst daily dealings with parents, community members, board members, and financial, disciplinary, and administrative matters, is spending time with as many of the 1,650 CHS students as he can.
“The most powerful thing I can do is get to know individual students,” Westphal said, adding that he also attends as many sporting events and school activities as possible. “If adults don’t reach out, it’s very easy for (students) not to feel any connection.”
A married father of five, Westphal said he also has enjoyed reacting to the challenges that have accompanied his job as a principal. He said there may be more “complexity” and certainly more litigation in today’s realm of public education, but the diversity of events over the past 23 years – including a school shooting at Sweet Home High School, where Westphal was principal, and last year’s threatening letters at Canby High -have kept things interesting.
“I love the challenge,” Westphal said, noting that he has enjoyed working with the staff at CHS as well. “Every day is a new adventure. You really never know what is going to happen.”
But, after 30 years in public education, the Canby principal is ready to move on. He said the daily pressures of being a principal, including long days and regular nightly engagements, can be “pretty amazing.”
Before he leaves his post in June 2004, Westphal said he would like to “bring closure” to the recent bond improvements made at CHS, including the small details left in the Applied Technology Center. He said he wants to help the district with its budgetary process, and he also wants to serve one more year on both the Oregon School Activities Association and the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
And when he does actually retire, Westphal hopes to spend more time with his family, play a little more golf, and travel to Europe. But, with plans to get his doctorate and perhaps teach at the university level, he said his retirement is unlikely to be a sedentary one.
“I really need to continue to challenge myself,” he said.