Kickemuit principal leaving for Newport

Jared Vance had led Bristol Warren's only middle school for two years

By Ted Hayes
Posted 7/11/17

After two years leading Bristol Warren’s only middle school, Kickemuit Middle School Principal Jared Vance is leaving to accept a new job as principal of Rogers High School in Newport.

Mr. Vance …

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Kickemuit principal leaving for Newport

Jared Vance had led Bristol Warren's only middle school for two years

Posted

After two years leading Bristol Warren’s only middle school, Kickemuit Middle School Principal Jared Vance is leaving to accept a new job as principal of Rogers High School in Newport.

Mr. Vance was unanimously chosen as the 600-student high school’s new principal Monday by the Newport School Committee. He starts later this summer.

Mr. Vance, whose tenure at Kickemuit was marked by his goal to improve technology, said Tuesday that he will be sad to leave Bristol Warren. He believes he and his staff accomplished a lot during his two years here and had a real impact on students across the two towns.

“I can’t say enough positive things,” he said. “I loved working here. The staff is amazing, the community is just so embracing of me and my role … It’s just been great.”

Mr. Vance said he would have been happy to stay on as the Kickemuit principal and, though he has always wanted to lead a high school, was not looking.

“I was not actively pursuing” a high school principal position, he said. “This opportunity was brought to my attention. But ultimately my goal has been to lead a flagship school, which for me is a high school. It is the culmination of the the district’s career for kids and a place I’ve always wanted to land.”

During his two years in the school, Mr. Vance said Kickemuit’s “culture” has changed dramatically. He believes a changing focus on technology, as well as his staff and PTO, played a big part in its improvement.

“The perspective was that this building was not that great, and you had discipline problems,” he said. “But To be able to highlight the great things that happen here on a daily basis with Twitter, Facebook, FlipGrid and all these tools, we’ve started to make this a beacon of education.”

He said Rogers will offer new challenges. And while the school is vastly different from Kickemuit, he is glad to have received a warm welcome from his new staff and administrators following Monday afternoon’s vote on his hiring.

“They’re looking for some significant change and significant support,” he said. Monday “was a warm welcome, very much like the welcome I received when I started here. I’m hugely sad to leave because I have made some great relationships here. But I’m excited.”

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