Partnership Principal
Thu Ament

     
     With declining financial resources and tough mandated standards, it’s difficult to take over the reins of any high school today. Throw in the fact that Tacoma’s (Washington) Foss High School was recovering from a shooting in the school five months before he became principal and one sees the challenge Thu Ament found in his first principalship.

     But Ament, a graduate of Foss High, has built on the diverse student body and committed staff, leading the school not only to its recovery from the tragedy but also to a strong focus on delivering quality learning opportunities to the 1,500 students at the comprehensive high school.

    Opened in 1973, Foss is set in the middle of Tacoma and historically has been an optional enrollment school. The first Washington school to initiate an International Baccalaureate program, Foss attracted youngsters from across the city and became known as a melting pot among the five high schools in Tacoma.

     “The Foss Family has always been an important concept in our building,” said Ament. “Good things happen when students, staff and the community work together. That was never more important that during the recovery from our tragedy.

     “The first two years were very difficult. We had a lot of negative press, and the criminal trial didn’t occur until Match 2009. During these two years we had to relive the shooting, giving depositions. I’ve never spent so much time with lawyers; it was the toughest thing I’ve ever had to do.”

     Another memory for Ament during this time was how well his staff, students, and community members pulled together to the focus back on the learning of the students.

     “I’m really proud of the courage and perseverance that our people displayed in enduring all the things they had to go through.”

    One natural community expectation following the tragedy was to focus on safety and discipline

    “The Foss staff always has taken discipline seriously,” Ament said. “After the tragedy we established a requirement that students and parents meet with me before readmission to class following emergency expulsion. That extra step turned out to be comforting to students, staff and parents.”

    While discipline was given additional attention, the primary focus continued to be assisting all students in reaching their educational goals. A specific need arose with the mandate that all students scheduled to graduate in 2008 pass the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) standards in reading, mathematics, science and writing.

     The Foss staff implemented a number of additional programs to help youngsters who needed assistance including a reading and math class for students functioning below grade level; Learning Assistance Programs, a class that provides foundations for students not meeting standards on the high school WASL; and after school tutoring for any student needing more focused assistance. We also implemented a student advisory which we call Falcon Teams. This allows our students to meet with their advisor to go over future goals, transcripts, etc. These meetings lead into student-led conferences in an effort to work more closely with parents and guardians.

     Foss has been a Gates School for several years and out of the 16 Gates Schools in Washington, it has the highest rate of graduates completing four years of college.

      One advantage for students at Foss, Ament believes is its small size.

      “Our size allows students, once they are comfortable in their surroundings to navigate across all segments of the school population. This exercise prepares them for succeeding in society. We strive to encourage our students to think socially as well as intellectually.”

     Ament himself devotes considerable time to this growth in students.

    “The most important thing I do is talking to young people about their education. No matter what a child decides to do he or she is always growing intellectually. I want to encourage that growth. I speak with kids all the time about their plans after Foss. Whether it’s college, the military, or a trade school, they need to consider their options and how those options will meet their educational goals.”

     That attention is paying off as Foss maintains one of the highest graduation rates in Tacoma with 84.8 percent of the students receiving their diploma in the 2007-8 school year.

     Ament also has helped Foss High develop a number of community involvement projects, demonstrating its commitment to a ‘Foss Family’ approach to education. Among these is the Achiever Scholarship project where participating students work with a ‘hometown mentor’ from the community to help them prepare for college. More than 500 students are involved in this program annually.

     “For Foss to provide the best education possible, all segments of our community need to be involved,” Ament cautioned. “Community volunteers assist in activities such as tutoring and mentoring students, providing classroom support, assisting in state testing and chaperoning at student activities. The Foss business community continues to provide financial and volunteer support on a regular basis, as well as fund-raising ideas. We are fortunate to have approximately 23 volunteers supporting our school each year.”

     Some common things that you will here around here is, “Everyday is a great day at Henry Foss High School.” The slogan, “Foss Is Boss” has been around since the school opened and “Green and Gold Heaven.”

     Ament believes that The Principals’ Partnership has been extremely helpful in his career as a school leader.

     “The Partnership is simply amazing,” he said. “I haven’t seen any program that comes close to offering school leaders what is done through The Principals’ Partnership.”

    Ament can be reached at tament@tacoma.k12.wa.us, and more information on Foss High can be found at www.fossfalcons.org.

Past Focus Principals

Focus - Ed John
Focus - Matt Saldana
Focus- Orlen Zempel
Focus- Carole Meyer
Focus- Ferdinand Wipachit
Focus- Mary Stewart
Focus-Alice Phillips
Focus-Bob Arp
Focus- Jan Borja
Focus- Leonard Franks
Focus- Stephanie Moore
Focus- Stephen Jupe
Focus- Blanca Cavazos
Focus - Gene Haynes
Focus- Dan Besett
Focus- Rodney Matheney
Focus- Catherine Guy
Focus- Bob Rodriguez
Focus- John Brumley
Focus- Nancy York
Focus- Jerrylyn Jones
Focus- Gloria Erkins
Focus- Ron Sing
Focus- Bill Hittman
Focus- Jeanene Sampson
Focus- David Gilligan
Focus - Joy Walton
Focus- William Roberts
Focus- Franklyn Wesley
Focus- Magdalena Gutierrez
Focus- Kent Bergum
Focus- William "Rick" Johnson
Focus- Ken Ball
Focus- Dan Tenuta
Focus- Charlesetta Deason
Focus- Rene Posey
Focus- Stuart Baker
Focus- Paul Smith
Focus- Christie Gestvang
Focus- John A. Butterfield
Focus- Janie Hill Hatton
Focus- Steve Warmack
Focus- Glen Clark
Focus- Kittie D. Weston-Knauer
Focus- William Dunn
Focus - Richard Pemberton
Focus- Dr. Anthony Spivey
Focus - John Weigel