New leadership aims students towards success

John Bunchan, former Governor General of Canada, gave meaningful insight on leadership.

He wrote, “The task of leadership is not to put greatness into people, but to elicit it, for the greatness is there already.”

Tom Arlt, the new principal of the Ritzville School District, has taken it upon himself to follow the words of John Buchan and lead local students towards greatness.

His intentions, deeply rooted in the community of Ritzville, are aimed at conquering challenges and creating achievement.

Arlt has history in Ritzville dating back 128 years when his family began farming land in the area in 1887. The connection influenced his decision to apply.

Arlt said, “I was born and raised here… This is where my home has always been.”

He continued to say even with moving around to Lake Stevens, Colfax, or all these different schools, deep down, when people ask where you’re from, you answer where you grew up.

Being principal allows him to come full circle. He explained he wants to be a part of the school that opened opportunities for him.

Specifically, he explained, “It’s a thing I want to do. I want to give back to the community.”

Arlt believes his position as principal has two prominent roles: “student achievement, as with academic success, and student safety.”

His plan as principal will be centered on those roles.

“The over-arching idea,” Arlt said, “is I want to be here, be visible, and be a support for students.”

The implementation of the digital Advanced Placement Biology curriculum is one of the district’s first sights of Arlt’s vision. He wants to “push harder for students above grade level,” especially in the areas of math and science.

Simultaneously, he wants curriculum and classes to “still be rigorous and engaging towards students at their grade level.”

Arlt’s plan also includes bringing up the academic standard for students entering Lind-Ritzville High School below their grade level.

The course of action to increase success is to close the gaps between the grade schools, middle school, and the high school.

Arlt cites this as his biggest challenge: “Even though Lind is close, it’s still a challenge to get [teachers and staff] together to collaborate.”

An important aspect of leading is to set quantitative, measureable goals. This is something Arlt already has in mind.

Arlt filled the position of principal at Colfax School District for the last seven years.

At Colfax, the test scores for state math and reading tests in last four years at all grade levels have been in the top five percent—if not one percent—of all schools in the state. Last year, 98 percent of Colfax’s sixth grade class passed the state reading test.

These are the statistics Arlt envisions for the future in the Lind-Ritzville Cooperative School District. .

He stated, “I expect us, Lind-Ritzville High School and Ritzville Grade School and Lind Elementary and Lind-Ritzville Middle School—us is all of us—in the same spot in two to three years from now.”

Arlt is looking forward to being a positive force in his hometown.

“The big difference,” he believes, “is I truly want to be a part of the community. Not just as principal, I will live here be at sports, be in the community, be at the fair.”

Under new leadership, students will be faced with new opportunities for greatness this school year.