Students don’t only see principal T.J. Meyer as a princibut also as a mentor and a steady adult figure at Augusta High School (AHS).
After four years working as an assistant principal, he unexpectedly assumed the responsibility and took on the role of principal.
“I was not planning on moving up to principal anytime soon, but ultimately, I just kept coming back to how much I care about our school and our kids,” Meyer said. “I just felt the push to go for it.”
A new position brings struggles with the changes.
“I was just kind of focused on disciplined attendance and supporting teachers,” Meyer said. “Now it is building needs, safety, working with the district office and so there’s just more responsibilities that come with that.”
Meyer built a strong support system to support him through this stressful transition; keeping a positive connection with the former principal, Rick Rivera.
“He’s a great friend and mentor to me; the biggest thing for me is just knowing that he’s just a phone call or text away,” Meyer said.
After bringing a baby boy into the world, Meyer had trust in the staff to keep things moving in the right direction.
“I was just at so much peace,” Meyer said. “I know how great our staff is and how hard they work and how much they care about the kids.”
Meyer does not want AHS to lose their oriole pride. He wants students to be excited about coming to school and to have a positive attitude.
“My biggest focus is the culture of the building,” Meyer said. “It’s not a “have to go to school”, it’s a “Iget to go to school”.”
He wants to remind people what it is like to be an Oriole. And continue to improve the school.
“I want to continue to build on the pride that we have established over the years,” Meyer said. “To continue growing so that students and staff are proud to be an Oriole again.”
Relationships with students and staff are important to Meyer. He always makes time to affect a student’s day positively.
“In my new role, I have an opportunity to positively impact so many more people,” Meyer said. “No matter what their GPA is or what their behavior logs look like, I want to have good connections with everybody.”
Meyer is thankful for his position; embracing all of the changes and challenges as a blessing.
“That’s my purpose in life; to make a positive impact on others,” Meyer said.
