Dear New England Families, Faculty and Staff,
It is a tremendous honor to be named principal of New England School. I am grateful to Superintendent Wilson and members of the Hillsbourgh County School Board for trusting me with the responsibilities of leading such a fine school. Under the leadership of Mr. Wilson this school community has set out on a journey of excellence, establishing high expectations, standards and an effective way of work. It is my goal to continue that journey toward “engineering a future” that allows our children to excel as responsible, respectful, successful students and citizens.
I would like to take this opportunity to share with you some of my background. I have 29 years of experience in education. I began as a physical education teacher in Ocala, Florida. I went on to become a school guidance counselor, and then a district administrator in Ocala. My family moved to Tampa in 1994, where I have held the positions of guidance counselor and assistant principal. I have had a very successful professional career over these many years, and hope to continue in that way for many more.
I am the very proud mother of two adult children. My son is 22 years old, and my daughter is 20 years old. Both are graduates of the Hillsbourgh County Public School System.
There are not enough words to convey to you how excited I am about being a part of the New England High School family. I want to commit to you that I will do all that I can to provide the leadership that will continue to put our students first and secure a safe, positive, challenging and inviting learning environment. It is important to me that you feel free to share your ideas, concerns, and thoughts openly with me. We are a team, working on behalf of our children.
I look forward to meeting you in the near future.
Sincerely,
Rashida Thomas, Principal