Ms. Snead Starts Making Her Mark at Blake

As everyone knows, there’s a new principal at Blake High School who’s trying to improve the student experience. Ms. Shanay Snead, who served as our principal intern for a few months last year, has terrific credentials, which you can read more about here. Teachers, students, and administrators alike have only positive things to say about Ms. Snead’s character, dedication, and vision for the school so far.

“She’s upfront and transparent,” states English teacher Dr. Daniel. “She’s on top of everything, and unlike [most principals] who sweep things under the rug, she admits [her mistakes] and tries to make things better.”

Assistant principal Mr. Edwards adds, “She’s bringing some new perspective[s] and new energy to the building. She relates well to students and staff and parents, [and] she communicates well.”

“She actually comes to class and pays attention [to what’s happening there],” notes junior Ashlynn Martey.

This involvement in the education of students is very deliberate, as Ms. Snead will tell you herself. “I try my very best to be active in every aspect, [whether I’m] popping in … classrooms, supporting staff members, … actively engaging with students and families, [and] being present at events hosted here so [other members of the Blake community can] work alongside me,” Ms. Snead asserts.

Regardless of all the support that Ms. Snead has from those in the Blake community, her first year as principal has had a very eventful start. On the first day of school, there was a fight, a fire alarm test that turned into an actual fire drill, an extended lunch, and confusion due to changed bus routes. Due to the influx of freshmen, hallways were crowded and students got frustrated. Even though things have calmed down, it’s going to take time for Blake to become the school Ms. Snead envisions it can be.

Ms. Snead takes over a school that is trying to develop an identity after the departure of Mr. Sinclair. One of the biggest problems that plagued our school last year was the overwhelming number of students who would roam around the halls instead of going to class. Since this causes problems for the students who don’t skip class, many of them want this issue to be resolved.

“[I hope] security guards get more serious and give more warnings [concerning] skipping classes,” says senior Jazzlyn Cruz-Rubio.

It’s important to note, however, that this problem and the other issues facing our school won’t be solved in a day. Though Ms. Snead and her administration want to work on these issues, their vision for the school is more holistic.

“We’re hoping to … improve instruction, make sure kids get out of school what they’re supposed to, and … [increase] scores. [We want to] make sure school is a safe environment, [help] kids develop some school spirit, … and make people feel like this is a place where they want to be,” asserts Mr. Edwards.

Ms. Snead affirms, “My vision is to make sure that all students have access to high-quality education every day, that … teachers and supporting staff members get to know all of our students and meet their individual needs, … [and] to develop school pride so that people carry that pride and … love their school community, and that [said community] will always remain special to them.”

Due to her clear vision and her approval by many members of the Blake community, Ms. Snead is sure to continue getting better and better at being principal. Stay tuned for more information on her tenure as principal as the school year goes on.