As he made his way through the hallway, the blissful noise of children’s laughter traveled through the building. Turning the corner, he meets students and staff gathered together as they dance to the blasting music. In this split second, Collin Fletcher takes a mental snapshot of this one of countless joyous moments he gets to experience on campus.

This 2022-2023 school year, Collin Fletcher takes on the role of assistant principal (AP) for his seventeenth year in education. Previously, he was a middle school administrator and teacher.

“We have such a strong team of leaders on campus and just some of the best teachers I’ve seen,” Fletcher said. “There have been so many positive interactions with students in the hallway and I’ve had the chance to connect with people.”

Fletcher enters his seventh year as an AP, transitioning from Cedar Valley Middle School. A combination of teaching and administrative experience with primary to secondary education has provided insight for the notable culture differences in both sectors.

“I love working with middle school kids,” Fletcher said. “But I was also secretly jealous of the experience that high school staff gets in getting to see people put on a cap and gown and graduate; seeing the culmination of all that hard work.”

Despite the passion he holds for teaching, the role of an administrator allows him to be of greater service to the broader community.

“A lot of decisions can take place outside of the classroom,” Fletcher said. “A lot of hard work takes place outside of the classroom to protect what happens in the classroom and I very much have a servant’s heart so I like rolling up my sleeves and doing all of those things.”

When the opportunity for an assistant principal popped up, Fletcher jumped at the chance to apply. Continuing in the administrator position, he enters the building expecting any possible conflict by approaching it with adaptability and responsiveness.

“As a teacher, a lot of time and effort is spent planning for lessons to go well,” Fletcher said. “As an administrator, I just show up and get ready for whatever storm comes.”

Fletcher graduated from Texas State University with a bachelor’s degree in theater, but ultimately shifted to a career in education with a master’s degree in educational leadership from Lamar University.

“I realized that what I loved was not necessarily theater, as much as it was the experience of educational theater by solving all of these different problems like figuring out what to do with the script,” Fletcher said. “‘What do you do with the set? What do you do with that costume design to set the scene design?’”

After attempting to make his big acting break living in Los Angeles and New York, he realized his greater passion involved problem solving and helping others excel. On campus, Fletcher hopes to radiate a positive influence over students, especially after the global pandemic which resulted in immense anxiety and stress among students and staff.

“I think that we have to really strive to ensure that the interactions we have with other people are productive and positive so that we can really connect with each other,” Fletcher said. “As well as having meaningful, positive experiences and having those good moments outweigh negative moments.”

Going beyond his duty of assisting students, Fletcher appreciates time spent attending their activities and supporting his school’s extracurriculars.

“I have the opportunity to be a part of the broader school spirit by going to football games,” Fletcher said. “I’m looking forward to seeing more performances with the fine arts, seeing the great work that the band, clubs and programs are doing. This community is a lot bigger, and I think there’s a lot to be proud of.”