Elizabeth A Fuller

EDUC 650
7/20/21

Principal Interview

I interviewed Mr. Robert Archer, associate principal at Huntington High School using the
questions provided in the text for the class. The following are the answers I received from him.

Tell me about your department/area.

1. I am over 12th grade, counseling dept., curriculum, athletics, and the math department.

Tell me about your job duties and responsibilities.

2. I oversee math teachers and co-teachers, counselors, coaches, athletes, and all things
senior discipline.

What are your strengths? 

3. Dealing with people, work ethic, and dedication to HHS.

What are your goals? 

4. My goals are for HHS to be THE BEST high school in WV by assembling the best staff
possible and helping them do their job to the best of their ability.

What are your present major concerns? 

5. My biggest concern is getting the operation of the school and all stakeholders back in a
good flow for an improving school after COVID's sidetrack.

What future concerns are anticipated?

6. Lack of attendance, fall of grades, county's outlook that content doesn't matter only
numbers of graduates.

What have you done to improve this school’s capacity to better meet the needs of
students? 

7. I've tried to hire the best staff possible and make this a great place to work.  For those
that don't want to work, I've tried to make this the worst place to work.
What do you need, expect, or hope for from your principals?

8. The same love of our kids and commitment to our improvement as the rest of us have.

From your experience of working with your district/school, what advice would you
give a new principal? 

9. Don't plan anything after hours and be willing to come in for unpaid overtime.  Work at
a school that you love.

What activities would you suggest I undertake during my internship to better

understand and/or work with your department/area?

10. Hiring process, master scheduling.

Within minutes of speaking with Mr. Archer and listening as he answered the questions it

was immediately apparent why he is the “go to” principal in our building. I believe that no other

administrator loves Huntington High and wants it to succeed any more than he does. However, he did

speak to me, at length, regarding how hard COVID has been on staff morale as well as the divide it has

seemed to cause among staff and administrators, etc. He stated that this year his focus will be on

building those relationships again! Without a staff that is “on board” and without two-way

communication, we will never see Huntington High School be the POWERHOUSE it could become. He

said that the best advice he could give (because he learns new things everyday even after all these

years) is to work at a school that you love, and I believe that is just what he is doing right now.