As many of you know, this Friday will be Ms. Baird’s last day as principal here at Weston Ranch High.  Noting an opportunity too good to pass up, Ms. Baird will leave us here and begin a new adventure in a neighboring school district where she will start to implement a centralized enrollment center. This a global position for the school district and it will affect every site TK-12.

“I have been given an opportunity to build a program and department from the ground up at a neighboring district. This offer is too exciting to decline; therefore, I am leaving my position of principal at WRHS. My last day will be Friday, November 16, 2018,” Baird announced to her faculty and staff last Monday, November 5.

Baird, who recently received her Doctorate of Educational Leadership, will end her tenure here, but her legacy will live on and continue to drive this campus, both academically and emotionally.  It is with little doubt we will miss her, but it is her spirit and drive to inspire, which we will remember the most.

“I am extremely proud of our students and how they navigate through diversity and challenges with grace,” Baird commented.  “We can all learn something from our students daily.”

Among her best memories, Baird cites the many times the community came together to make Weston Ranch a great place to live and attend school.   Most recently, Baird facilitated a “Town Hall” meeting held in our theater.  The meeting’s purpose was to bring the community and the people who oversee the daily activities (mayor, district attorney, Chief-of-Police, etc.) together in hopes a dialog could be created and sustained where a framework for unity and trust could be established.  A packed theater about 300 strong listened to speakers detailing how to create change, which made the evening a huge success.  Going theextra mile, putting in the extra time to create unity, was just the thing we needed at a tough time in our community.  We’re proud of this school, and Ms. Baird has directed our school with compassion and a unique, empathetic view.

“I guess my favorite memory of WRHS are the times the students, staff, and community came together to support each other.”  Ms. Baird also noted another fond memory of her staff dancing to Michael Jackson’s  “Thriller.”  During her reflection, Baird added, “I will miss serving the students of Weston Ranch, going to sporting events, and announcing Cougar Pride Time on Friday’s.”

“Ms. Baird was, and is, a good principal,” stated senior class member Duane Lilly.  “She’s always friendly, always smiling at us, and that’s kinda cool.”

Endings are always tough.  It’s hard to say goodbye to a good friend.  But, when we begin something new, we can look back and reflect positively on the people we worked with and the community we built.  Marshall Goldsmith, a leadership coach and author of many books about management, once said, “The last thing I say on most phone calls is not, ‘Goodbye,’ but, ‘Thank you.'”  Thank you, Ms. Baird