From the classroom, to the front office, the career path of associate principal Stacey Whaling has changed on campus as she has been named principal starting for the 2022-2023 school year following current principal Ashley Rainwater departure.

“I am incredibly excited to be Liberty High School’s new principal, and I can’t wait to continue to support the students, staff and community,” Whaling said. “I am looking forward to getting to meet our newest Redhawk students in the fall and our newest new hires. I’m looking forward to continuing the great work that we have always been doing at Liberty High School and just the continuation of that for years to come.”

Whaling is replacing current principal Ashley Rainwater who resigned to take a position on the district level as Managing Director of Secondary Schools.

“I’m very excited for Liberty High School and for Ms. Whaling,” Rainwater said. “I think a lot of times when there’s change, people are worried that it’s going to be a lot different or it’s going to be someone that doesn’t understand the unique culture of our school so she knows how the school works, how things are done already.”

With this new transition, Whaling is very excited for the new school year and what is to come.

“Liberty’s been my home for 11 years,” Whaling said. “I am so excited to get to continue the work that I’ve been doing, but in a different capacity and to keep leading the charge at this campus into just the great things that they’ve always done and into more exciting things to come.”

AP Government and Human Geography teacher Amanda Peters believes that the Whaling’s time as an associate principal at campus will facilitate the transition. 

“I think it’s great news,” Peters said. “I think it’s going to add a lot of continuity with this school especially as we come around to this next fall, especially with some grading changes that are coming in, it’s going be nice to have a familiar voice that will help steer the ship.”

Although many students often go their entire high school career without talking to the principal, that’s not the case for the Student Council president. Next year’s StuCo president, junior Anna Lyon, thinks the transition between principals will run smoothly

“I’m pretty excited because I know Ms. Whaling has worked with us for a long time,” Lyon said. “So she knows how the school works, how things are done already, so I think it’ll make things transition more smoothly and more easily.”