Principal's Welcome

Dear GEO Next Generation Community, 
 

I am thrilled to write this letter to you as your newly appointed principal. It is truly an honor and a longtime dream of mine to serve in this role at a school with such rich traditions, a strong sense of community, supportive staff, and great students. This community has become my extended family this month, and I am grateful for your support. 
 

I am eager to meet each of you and I want to take this opportunity to share a bit about myself. I am from Greensburg, LA, a rural area about 40 minutes from Baton Rouge. I received my bachelor’s from University of Texas at Dallas and my master’s from University of Phoenix in educational administration.  I have served as a principal of traditional and non-traditional schools with a total of 14 years in administration. I am very passionate about school leadership and excited to have the opportunity to join the TIGER family. 
 

When I’m not at school, I enjoy spending time with my family. Together, we love to travel and try new restaurants. I also enjoy watching new TV shows, sports, reading, and staying current with the best practices in education.  
 

I want to take a moment to share my vision for our school, which resonates deeply with who I am as an educator and as a person.

First and foremost, we will work together to create an educational FAMILY that radiates with positivity, kindness, and inclusivity. Every student should feel a profound sense of belonging, safety, and support at GEO Next Gen from the first moment they walk into our building.  
 

As we all know, it is crucial that we strengthen our school-wide systems and processes. Clear and open communication, collaboration, and shared decision-making will be at the heart of our work. Teams will begin this work right away and I truly value the voices of our families, so please reach out if you would like to collaborate on this before the school year begins.
 

I am dedicated to providing our faculty/staff with the support, resources, and professional development opportunities needed to grow and strengthen their practices. Together we can cultivate a school built on equity, critical thinking, justice, and innovation. 
 

Finally, I am a firm believer in the power of student voice. Our students are the heart and soul of our school, and their dreams, stories, cultures, and ideas should be valued, nurtured, and given a platform to shine. I am committed to finding ways for our young leaders to become active participants in their learning and to find opportunities for student leadership within our school and beyond. I will continue to be the servant leader that this school deserves and will always lead with the students’ interests at the forefront. 
 

So… TIGER up, let’s roll! We have great work to do! 
 

Your Principal,
Ms Shuanessy Matthews