Every year at AHA, students come and go, such as the senior class who graduates and the new naive freshmen who enter with faces of sheer terror. For AHA, however, this fall was unlike any other recent back-to-school season. With the new year came a new assistant principal, and it was a face that almost every student knew: Mr. Tim Wolfgram.
After the community at AHA was informed about the retirement of Mark Melhorn, students and staff alike were filled with an abundance of emotions. Known for his “tough love” approach to leadership, students were sad to see him go but were ultimately curious to see what someone else in the role would do for the school. A quick post on the AHA Instagram account showed that Wolfgram was going to leave his current teaching position to be the new assistant principal.
Making the change from a high school math teacher to an assistant principal is an intriguing switch that spurned us to inquire and ask him what pushed him to want to make the transition from faculty to administration. During his time teaching at the school, anyone who looked in on the class knew he had a passion for math, so when asked about his decision to take on a new role, Wolfgram said, “I felt I was ready for bigger, more complex, school-wide challenges and [wanted to] be able to make an impact on the building as a whole to impact more people.” Early on when he got into education, Wolfgram always thought he would go into administration. Progressively, he wanted to do that work, so when he learned of Melhorn’s retirement, he took the opportunity to fill the position.
However, this job did not just fall into his lap. Over the summer, Wolfgram spent the whole month of June prepping with Melhorn to be able to successfully replace him. They went over the necessities of the school like fire drills and A.L.I.C.E drills, as well as seemingly simpler things such as how to set up tables and how to effectively communicate with the staff.
When asked if being in this higher role in the administration would cause him to lose the close relationships that he’s made with his students, Wolfgram commented, “Although my position title has changed, I don’t think students are seeing me as a disciplinarian.” He feels that he can still keep in contact with his students while also being the assistant principal.
A big ticket question that sparked not only our interests but, according to Wolfgram, the number one question he has been asked since taking the new job is, “Do you miss your job as a teacher?” His response: “Yes and no.” The thing he misses the most is the students, “What I do miss is being able to see the same groups of people every day and being able to develop those one-on-one relationships with students.” However, he feels like he can be more in touch with the school in the new position, and he can see and feel the difference he is making in the student body.
To achieve a big promotion is great and rewarding, but the final question we asked was about Wolfgram’s favorite part of his new duties as the assistant principal. He wants all students to know for him that “It is important for me to still be an active participant in students life outside of school. I am here to support you.” Although he may be in a new role, he is still the same Wolfgram who has been loved and appreciated ever since he was hired and became a part of the AHA community.
