Superintendent Darryl Flusche announced Travis Willard as the new principal of Randall High School on April 23.

Willard said he is excited about his new position and wants to continue success as a school.

“I am mostly excited and a little bit nervous,” Willard said. “You guys do so many great things here, and it’s so fun to watch, but I feel a little nervous because I know it’s a big responsibility. Y’all are so successful at things, and I don’t want to be the person that changes that.”

Willard started his education career in 2006 at Dalhart Junior High, where he was a 6th grade social studies teacher. He didn’t initially go to college to be a teacher, but it ended up being the only thing he wanted to do.

“I vividly remember being in high school and wanting to be a teacher and coach because of the teachers and coaches I had,” Willard said. “But strangely enough, I had teachers who told me not to teach because they don’t make any money, and to go do something else first. So, I took their advice through college but never found anything else I wanted to do.”

He lived outside of Amarillo for a couple of years but eventually came back to be closer to his family. That’s when he got a job as a principal at Arden Roan Elementary School.

“After several years working with elementary school students, I thought to myself that I was glad I got to experience it, but I missed older students,” Willard said. “That’s when I applied for the Associate Principal position at Randall High School.”

This is Willard’s third school year at Randall, and in his new head principal role, he said that he will support students and staff by being present and there for them whenever they need support.

“My philosophy on leadership is it’s less about being in charge, but more about taking care of the people that are in your charge, and that means support,” Willard said. “My goal is to be visible and available to students and teachers and to make sure they have what they need, but also let them know I have a vision that could make Randall even better than what it is.”

Willard is also the first Randall graduate to become principal at RHS. Flusche decided to hire Willard because of his dedication to Randall’s high standards.

“Mr. Willard has shown a tremendous commitment to the culture at Randall High School,” Flusche said. “During his interview, he presented his plan to raise the levels of student performance.  He shared how teachers and school administrators would be involved in his plan. He talked about the shared ownership of student achievement and quality student experiences.”

Many students have had a positive reaction to Willard stepping in officially as principal.

“I think that Mr. Willard will do an amazing job as our new principal,” junior Madisyn Myles said. “He’s proven that he cares about everyone here and wants to make school a fun place to be. I hope that we will continue to stay connected with students and listen to their ideas.”