WHS Principal Announces Retirement

Dear Wildcats,

     I am writing today to share with you that Westlake’s High School Principal, Keith Schenker, has informed the Board of Education and me of his intention to retire and will conclude his tenure here at Westlake at the end of the school year. Please join me in thanking Keith for his dedication to our students and school community and wishing him the very best in the future.

Keith’s career spans 32 years as an educator, the last 15 as the principal of Westlake High School. All of us who know Keith can agree, he is a fierce advocate for students. His commitment to their academic success at Westlake and his support of their post-graduation education and careers has been the hallmark of his time at Westlake. Most notably, Keith was instrumental in the research and implementation of the block schedule. This sophisticated approach toward the allocation of time during the school day created a pathway to more performance-based assessment and project-based learning. Among other things, it supports programming that sets Westlake apart including Westlake Science Research, The AP Capstone Program, and Career Research Academy. During his tenure Keith partnered with faculty and staff to enhance offerings to students. As a result of this work, WHS students have access to 22 Advanced Placement classes and dozens of electives in the areas of AP, STEM, and the Humanities. This uniquely provides our high school students the ability to explore the areas in which they are most interested.

Keith has been an instrumental member of the Mount Pleasant administrative team whose expertise and insights were an integral part of the creation and implementation of our Strategic Plan and Portrait of a Mount Pleasant Learner. Former, current, and future Wildcats benefit from his dedication to excellence for individual students and the programs he championed. His enthusiasm and Wildcat Pride are infectious. I am grateful for his leadership and his friendship.

Keith will remain in his position through the end of June. I will be announcing details regarding the process and timeline for establishing new leadership at Westlake High School in the coming days. - Dr. G