Phone:  (509)586-0481     principal@sjske.org

Ever since I was a teenager, I always wanted to teach and serve others. As a young adult and mother, I participated heavily in all of my children’s school activities. Over the years, I served in many types of teaching, training, and eventually became a tenured college professor and educational administrator in higher education. As far as my organizational mission and outcomes are concerned, I espouse a questioning attitude. I seek to have curious, creative, and technically apt people in my team.

I endeavor to ensure that the policies, procedures, roles, and responsibilities are all transparent and confirm clarity and understanding from my team. Above all, I am student-centered, and focused on supporting the faculty and staff to create a culture of caring, and a mission to deliver an excellent education to our students. I strongly encourage a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion; and am a course design champion for inclusive pedagogy. I lead my team by example, take extreme ownership, and show my team through my words and actions. I ensure that stakeholders that are involved are part of solution creation so that we all take ownership in the outcomes.

As the principal of St. Joseph Catholic School, my personal mission is built upon three main tenants: Servitude, Advocacy, and Mentorship. At the heart of my personal mission is the continuation of the school’s mission to cultivate a “faith-filled community where each child is challenged to excel and grow in mind, body, and spirit as an image of God in our world.”

Sincerely,
Dr. Melissa B. Slater, Principal