Embarking on a new journey, Assistant Principal Mrs. Kelly Krasner steps into the role of administrator. Being one of the school’s original staff members when it was founded August 22, 2005, and having over two decades of teaching experience, Krasner steps into a new aspect of education.
After 22 years of teaching at Rocklin High School and in the Special Education Department here, Krasner became assistant principal to make a difference in the lives of students and teachers and become a bigger part of the school.
“I’m excited. You know, that excitement that you jump into something new and you’re like, ‘I’ve been working really hard and I really think that good things can happen,” Krasner said.
Since the opening of the school, Krasner was a leadership figure in the Special Education department. As the department chair, she played a key role in the organization and culture of the department.
“She is caring and compassionate to all our needs in the Special Education department. I already see her as a leader so she is knocking it out of the park and she’s going to do great things,” special education teacher Mattew Thompson said.
During her time as department chair, Kranser handled IEPs, Forms, paperwork and staffing as well as working with students in the classrooms. Thompson, a newer special education teacher, was also overseen by Krasner during his time as an intern teacher.
“I would come to her for advice [and] I would come to her for guidance,” Thompson said, “She as always open and approachable.”
While in the special education department Krasner valued meeting students and connecting with them. Being in her new position Krasner puts in extra effort to connect with the student body outside of the classroom.
“When you have a classroom full of students, you have the opportunity to do things very deliberately to get to know students. And what’s new I found as an assistant principal is that I have to make sure I do the same thing but it’s not in a classroom setting. So it’s a very deliberate step out and meet people,” Krasner said.
Krasner has plans to make the campus a more inclusive place and hopes to make students feel welcomed and acknowledged, and letting them know they are a big part of the puzzle.
“Feel free to reach out, say hello and let us understand each other. I think [it] would be a very good first step,” Krasner said. “When we’re trying to reach out, we’re trying to get to know you and that’s really what it is. Get to know everybody.”
Krasner said she is excited to start a new chapter in her career, and plans to rely on her previous role as a teacher to guide her through her new administrator position.
“I think that [the classroom is] what’s gonna make me a strong administrator. I really remember what it’s like and that’s where my heart is,” Krasner said. “That’s why everything I do is going to be mindful of the students in the classroom and the teachers supporting those students.”
Krasner has plans to bring her own personality to campus culture. Though she has not yet personally worked with any of the students on school-wide projects, she plans to do her best to step out and interact with the students on campus, especially during lunch time in order to become part of the culture
ASB President Nayeli Glaude looks forward to student-staff collaboration and what the school can achieve with the new assistant principals, allowing them to have a variety of perspectives and amplifying diversity throughout.
“[I] expect [that] they are willing to share their ideas while also keeping students’ safety their top priority. The principals can guide us,” Glaude said.
However, through the changes in the admin team and adjustments students will experience on campus, Krasner is ready to take on her new role.
Krasner said, “I’ve gotten to know Whitney. Whitney is my heart. Whitney is where I want to spend most of my time right now. Now I have the opportunity to step into an assistant principal role. I’m very excited.”
by ALEXIS DASHNYAM, JAXON GREEN, TRINITY KIM, SIMON OSCAR ARAGOZA, IZZY SOTO
