Thank you to Amish Jindal for sharing his recent blog post about our new superintendent, Dr. Chris Trickett. You can read Amish’s blog “Global Is Local” at this link.
The Wilson School District’s new Superintendent Dr. Chris Trickett has set out to create an environment in which kids love to learn, people love to work, and the community loves to live. He wants Wilson to continue to be a destination school district, a place that draws and attracts people.
Dr. Trickett is a familiar face to many. He has been serving Wilson since September 2003. Previously he has acted in the roles of teacher, assistant principal, director of technology, high school principal, and assistant superintendent.
“I want to be here and am very invested in Wilson,” said Dr. Trickett.
It is very common for Dr. Trickett to not only engage in meetings but also be out visiting schools, as well as attending district games and events.
Dr. Trickett is focused on forming trust and relationships with the community. “If people don’t understand who you are and what you believe in, it’s hard to gain followers. I want to be out there. People should feel comfortable coming up and talking to me,” said Dr. Trickett.
A “Strategic Plan” has been laid out by his administration. This is a long-term plan that incorporates aspects such as the Profile of a Wilson Graduate. This focuses on making students “life, career, and college ready.” Many of the key concepts of this objective are being achieved through the Internship Program, Dual Enrollment with local colleges and local technical schools. At Wilson High School, the open campus feature allows students to leave school and explore opportunities in the community. In addition to preparing students for the future, Dr. Trickett sees this as a pipeline for the local economy.
Dr. Trickett is also looking to increase student engagement among all students at Wilson.
“Our goal is that every kid is engaged in something after school and has an adult connection,” said Dr. Trickett.
The problem he is observing is that there is a segment of the student population that is not involved in anything. These students are in no clubs or sports and just come to school for the school day.
Dr. Trickett added, “If everyone is not involved, I don’t think our schools are meeting their needs.”
Another key aspect of the strategic plan is improved safety and security at schools. Since Wilson High School incorporates the concept of an open campus, meaning students may leave the buildings in the middle of the day, it is increasing physical security presence by hiring additional security guards. In the elementary and middle schools, Wilson is partnering with local law enforcement to increase safety.
Recently, an active shooter drill was conducted by Spring Township and Lower Heidelberg Township police departments. The purpose of this drill was to help first responders address the threat of an active shooter by providing awareness, preparation, prevention, and response methods.
Along with safety, Dr. Trickett is facing the challenge of a growing district population. The current total student enrollment is 6,392 students. This is an increase of 75 students from last school year.
When pressed on this, Dr. Trickett said, “we are working with a demographer to project the district population in 5-10 years.”
Based on those calculations, the administration will plan where to increase classroom space. It could be extensions to existing buildings or entirely new schools.
It is important for Wilson to consider these facts as the district has been accustomed to a tradition of excellence. The Wilson brand is something very important to Dr. Trickett, and he looks to preserve it. The Wilson School District is famous for its academic and athletic excellence and also ranks highly compared to other districts in the state. Niche, a popular review site, ranks Wilson 55/495 of all school districts in the state.
Dr. Trickett is proud of this ranking, but he is most proud of the students in this district.
He said, “The kids are our most valuable asset. Every day they show us traits we are proud of such as, leading a club, engaging kids in the Superfan section, as well as canning and selling programs to raise money for various causes they are passionate about. These kids demonstrate skills like empathy, understanding, caring, and helpfulness. This is what makes Wilson special.”
