“I really didn’t think I was going to walk through these doors again.”

This Monday marked Mrs. Summer first day back. When Principal Summers opened Green Level High School, she never imagined that in only three years, she’d think the doors had shut on her time here. She faced multiple health challenges in recent months. A knee replacement, a stomach infection, and a severe bacterial colon infection put her in the hospital for two weeks and bedridden for much longer, taking a severe toll on her physical and mental health. “I thought there was no way that I could ever go back to Green Level,” she shares, “and that was just so awful.”

Although she is still in recovery, Ms. Summers feels much better and has finally returned to her position as Principal. She is so excited to be back in the school–since Green Level has such high personal value as her school and her work here is a huge aspect of her life, walking through the doors again was incredibly special. However, she admits to being nervous about her return. “Being away for three months is a big deal, especially when everybody else is back… but I think that [being back] is going great.” 

Principal Summers is spending her first weeks in the building meeting teachers and trying to get into the routine of the school. She cannot express how proud she is of the staff at Green Level and believes her fellow faculty is doing a fantastic job working as a team to persevere through COVID and other setbacks. She shows extra gratitude for Interim Principal Mr. Williams, an old friend who stepped up in her absence. “The fact that he was able to be here just really comforted me greatly… [Mr. Williams] just a good person with a big heart, and he loves high school,” she says. 

Now that Ms. Summers has returned, she’s curious to meet the new staff. She hired over 30 faculty members through Zoom before she got sick and now wants to meet them face-to-face, along with catching up with returning staff and students. Mrs. Summers admits that because of COVID, Green Level “still doesn’t feel like a traditional school.” Nonetheless, she hopes to ease back into the old routine, return to one lunch, and eventually lose the masks so she can see everybody and their smiling faces. We warmly welcome our principal back to Green Level and hope she makes a full recovery very soon!