WES principal brings energy to her job

Visitors to Westside Elementary School might be forgiven if they stare at a petite woman who dances down the halls, often wearing outrageous outfits.

It’s only the WES principal, Tisha Lewis, having fun with her students and staff and infusing excitement into the school.

“We try to keep that energy,” she told the Demopolis Rotary Club Wednesday.

Her talk was the last in a series by Demopolis City Schools principals during September, the month Rotary International focuses on education and literacy.

Lewis, now in her fourth year as WES principal, brought Rotarians up to date on what the school and its students have accomplished and what they hope to achieve.

The whole school is very excited about the multi-purpose building now being built on the campus, she said. Plans now are for the first school-wide event to be the Christmas program.

She told how changes have been made in the instructional program and reporting at the school. The new reading program encourages a higher level of thinking and promotes positive behavior with the expectation of respect for oneself, others and the school.

Lewis said the faculty and staff are proud of student assessments, with each of the three grades showing double-digit improvements in one year. Kindergarten jumped 47 percent; first grade, 27 percent, and second grade rose 15 percent.

With the new multi-system instruction now in place, “We’re doing our best to produce citizens,” she said.

WES enrollment numbers are holding steady with 546 students enrolled in pre-K through second grade, she continued, but added there are no more classrooms available should the number of students grow.