When new Principal Kelly Batten started the school year at Carrboro High School, he said he felt a little like what a freshman or a new teacher might feel like at a new school.
After six years at his last school, Batten said it felt a little strange not having strong relationships with teachers, parents and students. But after only a few weeks at Carrboro High, Batten said, “It’s reached its comfortable spot now.â€
“I have found that this community and this student body is very open,†he said.
Having grown up in a small town outside of Wilson, Batten said he was excited to work in a smaller community, at a smaller high school. The last high school Batten worked at had about 2,400 students — Carrboro High has less than a third that many.
Batten isn’t new to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro community, having completed his bachelor’s degree in secondary education at UNC as a North Carolina Teaching Fellow. He then got his start in teaching at Sanderson High School in Raleigh, where he taught world history, civics and economics. Batten spent four years at Sanderson before returning to UNC to get his master’s degrees in secondary education and school administration. He then served as assistant principal at Leesville Road High School in Wake County Schools, where he stayed for six years.
“I’d reached the point where I knew it was time to move into a principalship or a central office position,†he said, adding that he’d always been interested in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools because of the district’s reputation and its small size.
“It’s one of the best districts in the nation,†he said.
When the principal position at Carrboro High became open, Batten said he was excited about the prospect of working with a relatively new school.
“For me, it’s a great opportunity,†he said.
About a third of the faculty is new to Carrboro High this year. The school will graduate its first senior class this year as well.
“A school benefits from having a senior class, because that’s who everybody looks up to,†Batten said. Last year, Carrboro High students “kind of missed out on that.â€
He said he’s also excited about helping the students develop Carrboro High traditions.
“This is the year when a tradition starts,†Batten said. “We’ll really get to decide what’s going to become a tradition at Carrboro High School.â€
Apart from developing traditions, Batten said he’d really like for the school’s 140 seniors to succeed and would like to retain as many teachers as possible to develop instructional consistency.
“This has all the ingredients to be the best school in the district,†he said. “We want Carrboro to become the best school in the best district.â€
I think I speak for a lot of teachers and parents when I say that he has given us a great first impression so far. He is respectful and trusting of his staff, allowing us to do job one: provide high-quality instruction to our kids. We’ve had a very smooth school opening so far. In this climate, I don’t think retention should or would be much of an issue. Hope not.