Chelsea Self / Post Independent
Well-known Carbondale educator Lyn Bair will be Roaring Fork High School’s next principal, the school district announced Friday.
Bair has led the district’s alternative Bridges High School for 15 years, “through several challenges to become a school that is focused on supporting the whole child and helping everyone in the organization experience success,” Superintendent Rob Stein said in a letter announcing the new role.
Departing RFHS principal Brett Stringer announced his resignation in April, and the district convened a committee of 18 parents, teachers and community members to conduct interviews of potential candidates.
“Overwhelmingly, the feedback from the interview committee was that Lyn is the right person to be Roaring Fork High School’s next leader,” Superintendent Rob Stein said in a letter announcing the hire.
Stein’s letter also includes comments from teachers and administrators at RFHS supporting Bair’s hire.
“I believe that Lyn’s innovative thinking coupled with our staff’s dedication will bring great success in our mission to serve our students and community,” said Zoe Stern, assistant principal at RFHS.
“I really like Lyn because she knows our community, she already has the respect of our community, and I’ve seen her connect deeply with the Latino families. I have known of Lyn’s reputation for years,” said interview committee member and English teacher Denise Wright.
The interview committee pointed out Bair’s “wealth of experience and expertise as a leader, her strong commitment to and involvement in the community, her mission-driven focus, and her individualized and personable approach to staff and student relationships as key strengths that she would bring to this leadership role,” Stein said.
In a statement, Bair said she is “excited to have the privilege of leading the youth and the dedicated educators in our community to reach their full potential. Go Rams!”
The departure of Stringer came at a time when the RFHS community was not pleased with the direction of the school. He was hired two years ago over former RFHS assistant principal Kelsie Goodman, who had been a popular choice to take the head principal’s position at the time.
In an interview earlier in May, Stein acknowledged the relational struggles between the principal and staff at the school, but hoped that the community would work together with staff empathetically and constructively to move forward.
“It’s always easy to pinpoint an individual and assign blame rather than say, what are we going to do as a full team to work together better?’” Stein said.
Stringer also acknowledged in making his decision to resign that his transition into the RFHS position had been a difficult one.
