By Tom Ganser
Correspondent
The Whitewater Unified School District School Board voted unanimously Aug. 26 to hired Tanya Wojciechowicz as the principal of Whitewater Middle School, for one year (260 days), beginning immediately.
School Board Member Steve Ryan was unable to attend the meeting.
Wojciechowicz replaces Dan Foster who resigned at the beginning of August to become principal at Waterford Union High School, where he had served as dean of students from 2004-06 and as associate principal from 2006-11.
Wojciechowicz has worked in education for nine years, including two years as associate principal at Elkhorn Area Middle School (2011 to August 2013) and two years as associate principal at Elkhorn Area High School (2009-11).
Between 2005 and 2009 Wojciechowicz was a science teacher at Bradford High School in Kenosha and Craig High School in Janesville. She also served as activities coordinator for about 70 extra-curricular clubs and organizations at Bradford and at Craig High School as dean of students and assistant to the summer school principal.
In addition to being certified as a principal and science (biology, chemistry, physic and broad-field science) teacher, Wojciechowicz is certified as a director of instruction and has applied for certification as a superintendent.
Wojciechowicz was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree (biology major and chemistry minor with a concentration in pre-medical studies) from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Her graduate degrees, both from Cardinal Stritch University, include a Master of Science in Educational Leadership and a Ph.D. in Leadership for the Advancement of Learning and Service – just completed this summer.
A team of 15 people (administrator, School Board member, teachers, staff, students, parents) selected five candidates to interview from a total of 92 applicants.
Wojciechowicz and one other finalist were then interviewed by four different team: (1) District Administrator Eric Runez and School Board President Chuck Nass (2) the District Leadership team, (3) WMS staff and (4) WMS students and parents.
“Tanya comes highly recommended and brings strong educational and leadership experiences including athletics, sciences, special education and ELL [English Language Learners] with diverse student populations and in a variety of learning environments,” Runez told the School Board. “Ms. Wojciechowicz was the overwhelming choice based on the input of the interview teams.”
Runez also said, “Ms. Wojciechowicz comes to us with a solid middle school philosophy, diverse educational experiences including experiences in diverse settings, including ELL, special education and GT [Gifted and Talented Education]. She’s very student-centered and has impeccable references.”
Wojciechowicz briefly addressed the School Board after the vote.
“It’s a pleasure and great honor for me to be here this evening and I just want to let you know, along with our staff, it’s my goal to continue to work hard to uphold the reputation of the middle school for providing a strong education to our students, as well as programs and opportunities to meet their needs. Thank you,” she said.
