By Grace Feldman, Communications Coordinator
I’m being sent to the principal’s office for the first time in my life. The teenaged version of me would have been petrified, fortunately present day me overheard from several sources what a stroke of luck BISD had enlisting Principal Kristina Rodgers, so I am excited to get to know her.
A born and raised Seattleite, Principal Rodgers is a second-generation Roosevelt High School graduate. She later returned to the Seattle Public Schools to dedicate almost 2 decades as a Spanish teacher, assistant principal and principal until she joined BHS back in July 2021 (which in all fairness, probably feels like a decade ago itself in COVID times). The move away from Roosevelt was quite a big change and Roosevelt’s own account of Principal Rodgers’ departure is steeped with affection and admiration. Of course, Principal Rodgers arrived more than ready to connect with the Bainbridge community. The smaller community and school district is best contrasted in her own explanation, “Going from a school district with 55,000 kids, 12 comprehensive high schools, and 1,800 kids in my school, to a district with 3,600 kids, and 1 comprehensive high school is really different in a lot of ways while remarkably similar in others. Kids are kids and that is wonderful.”
When asked what her observations have been of the student body at BHS, she notes, “This feels like a really intellectual place. Bainbridge kids seem really driven, mature, unafraid, and prepared to use their voice.” As a former Spanish language teacher and with her own three children (2 in kindergarten and 1 in second grade) in the Spanish language immersion program El Velero at Ordway Elementary, Principal Rodgers is adept at identifying voices that are not being heard. It comes as no surprise that she has a strong background in advocating for cultural and equity work within the school environment. “When I was in high school, we weren’t talking about race. But when we were talking about race, we were talking about the slave trade. And we were, of course, talking about it in a way that centered white people, the white story and in a way that made white people comfortable, I now realize. I have a lot of hope for our kids because that’s one of the things that has changed in a real positive way. There’s still harm and othering; whiteness is still very centered but we are talking about the perspective and story of others. That is so critical. Just asking the question whose voice have we not heard from? Whose voices are we not hearing from? And why might that be?”
Since arriving in Bainbridge, Principal Rodgers and her family face many of the quirky challenges of island living: the comically low inventory of the real estate market, the commuting challenges (are there two boats running now or one boat?), in addition to the global challenges posed by COVID. Fortunately despite these challenges, Principal Rodgers has remained approachable (check out her Instagram @bainbridge.principal where she uses her engagement to remain aware of how students are interacting on social media and its impact on school) and unafraid to address difficult conversations involving COVID, racial equity, sexual assault, and beyond.
Moving into the new year, Principal Rodgers identified her challenges/priorities:
- “For me personally, wanting to create a greater connection with the school community and the community at large.”
- “Helping students to re-engage with in-person learning and helping them to feel comfortable. That’s been our theme and sadly, we’ve had this huge setback in the last month with the Omicron surge.”
- “Helping teachers adapt to where kids are at returning to in-person - this is an opportunity for all of us to rethink: Why do I do this? What is the purpose of this? And how does it benefit the students?”
As our conversation came to a close, Principal Rodgers had more than lived up to the hype - she is approachable, impressively competent while also acknowledging her own implicit bias, and eager to listen and learn from our BHS students. Welcome Principal Rodgers - we are so fortunate to have you here!
