New Birchwood Elementary School Principal

Matthew Whitten has been announced as the new Birchwood Elementary School’s principal. He has been part of the project since January of this year. Whitten, who grew up in Kent, Wash., is 36 years old and married to Sarah Whitten. They have two kids, Lena, a 5-year-old, and Elison, who is 2 years old.

Whitten is currently the principal at Geneva Elementary, and has been there since the fall of 2010. Before becoming the principal at Geneva, Whitten was the principal of Concrete Elementary, a K-8 school in Concrete, Wash. He was a Physical Education teacher before starting his principal career. He has been teaching for 14 years.

Whitten is now attempting to connect with his new community of Birchwood before school starts in the fall. He’s been meeting with various groups in the community including the Birchwood PTA and the Birchwood Neighborhood Association, and has noticed a general excitement as opening day gets closer.

He’s also been attending weekly site meetings at the school’s construction site, working with the architect and contractor and adding his voice to the design. By doing this, Whitten said that he’s making sure to implement “what’s going to be the best for our kids and our specific programs.”

Most of his involvement in the project has been centered on ensuring that the school has all necessary furniture and supplies, and even adjusting cabinet heights in two classrooms to accommodate for the new preschool program.

He also mentioned little things that have to be decided such as “how are we going to have the kids dropped off at school, how are we going to move them to lunch, what is our discipline policy, what are all of our emergency procedures going to be.” He expressed excitement at being able to start from scratch and make these decisions to see his vision shape the attitude of this new school.

According to Michelle Hanks, the Vice President of the Geneva PTA, the students and families at Geneva are not happy that Whitten has decided to leave. She said that “The staff even have ‘Team Whitten’ shirts that they wear on Fridays.”

Not only is he leaving, but he is also taking with him the school secretary of 22 years, Laura Murdzia, and two teachers, Sam Cousens and Laura Britt. Murdzia said that Whitten is being replaced by Steve Ruthford, a science teacher at Sehome High School, who has been interning at Geneva since March of this year.

Murdzia has developed a personal relationship with Whitten, stating that “Matt has been a steady rock for me since coming to Geneva...I consider him a friend as well as a boss.” She said that he is always willing to help employees in any way possible, “whether it is work related or on a personal basis.”

Even though she is leaving, Murdzia acknowledged the effect his absence will have on the school by saying “Just when we found a person that made a difference in the whole community of the building and now they are losing him.”

Though he is leaving Geneva after this school year, he has made his mark on the school. “He has built the staff and school back up from many years of being a dysfunctional school with low morale,” said Murdzia. Not only has he built professional relationships at Geneva, but personal ones as well. “Matt has been a steady rock for me since coming to Geneva. He is willing to help with everything and has made the transition of being a new principal and secretary working relationship very easy.”

To become involved with his students, Hanks mentioned that she has seen Whitten in the cafeteria cleaning tables after lunch. Murdzia said that “He is a caring, compassionate principal but knows when to set boundaries and expectations with the students.”

She added that the students love him and that he works impressively well with them. He connects with students by interacting with them in the halls and cafeteria, and playing games with them at recess.

To connect with the parents of his students, Murdzia said Whitten attends PTA meetings, school functions and activities, and “Matt is a great communicator with all stakeholders in a school.”