When Analy students think about our administration school’s administration team, they might think of walkie-talkies, serious office meetings, and disciplinary talks. But in reality, Principal Chuck Wade and vice principals Kirsten Sanft, Christi Calson, and Gianna De Persiis Vona do much more than that. Their responsibilities range from guiding important school-wide decisions to being a friendly and trusted adult on campus. They shape the safety, culture, and support that students rely on daily.

At the head of the school is Principal Wade, who likes to lead with a big picture perspective and a deep care for the students and staff. “I love high school. I love this age group a lot,” he said in our interview with him. As the principal, he has a lot of responsibility and has to make a lot of tough decisions, but even in just a short conversation with him, you can see just how much he cares. He described how he helped people in Guatemala coming out of thirty-six years of civil war design a website, saying, “I was actually able to get a job in the dotcom boom, like doing web stuff, even though I had learned to make websites in the jungle in Guatemala.” 

Here at school, though, he is doing a lot more than just designing a website in the jungle. Wade explains how every day is completely different, each with its own challenges. “I try to get here pretty early every day and make a plan,” he says, “and it never goes like this.” Around this time of the year, he has a lot to think about with the end of this year closely approaching and next year coming up. Wade describes how he has to work on hiring new teachers, creating the “master schedule” for next year, and trying to stretch the limited resources the school is allotted to make the most for the students.

Then come the vice principals: Christi Calson, Gianna De Persiis Vona, and Kirsten Sanft. Along with general duties like campus supervision during lunch, each vice principal has unique responsibilities. In our interview with Calson, she explained that safety, college and career readiness, and tutorial are all her prominent roles. She’s in charge of when emergency drills will be, helps to make sure there is a safe classroom environment, as well as lots of other work on college classes that are being taught here. She explains that they are working tirelessly to “build out a kind of culture where students feel safe… and they feel a sense of belonging here”. 

Gianna De Persiis Vona is someone students might see checking in with seniors about their progress, supporting a classroom, or working to resolve conflicts fairly and objectively. She notes, “A lot of people think of a vice principal as somebody that you only see when you’re in trouble. That’s definitely not the way it has to be, and it’s not always the case. People come to me with all kinds of different stuff.” Another prominent part of our meetings with the admin members was how busy they are. When we asked her what a typical day looked like for her, De Persiis Vona said, “I am literally never bored. Not even for a second. I can’t remember the last time I was bored. It is nonstop and it’s pretty unpredictable.” Similar to Wade, she would often be juggling a lot at once. One of the most important things in her job, she says, is being able to shift gears.

Vice Principal Kirsten Sanft is motivated by forming connections with students and helping them along their path to the future they want for themselves. She supports students with 504 plans, works closely with the wellness center, and helps make sure students are getting what they need to succeed.  Ms. Sanft likes to encourage students to aim high and work for what they want in life. “The choices you make in high school around exploring and taking some different electives and trying different things can really help you sort out what you want”, Sanft said. Like the other administrators, Ms. Sanft has a lot of roles to play in our school. She helps with attendance tracking, which controls how much funding our school gets. She also works to make sure that all the teachers are teaching the proper curriculum, and looks at data from surveys like the Youth Truth survey. She explains that “Another piece of data is things like having the English teachers all use the same rubric to grade an essay at the beginning of the year, another essay in the middle of the year, and another essay at the end, and be able to see our kids really improving.” Using this data, Sanft can discover what areas our school is excelling in and where we need to improve.

While each administrator brings something different to the table, one thing they all have in common is their deep commitment to the Analy community. They are constantly making decisions, solving problems, and helping students in ways many don’t see. From building class schedules to walking the quad, from supporting mental health to organizing safety drills, they are always thinking about how to make our school a better place. So, next time you pass one of them in the hallway, give them a wave or say hello!