Bremerton High School News
A Message From the Principal
February 25, 2022
Dear Bremerton students, staff, families and community:
I’m writing to inform you I have accepted the Principal position at Bremerton High School. Twenty years ago, I drove to Bremerton to interview for a teaching position on the rainiest day ever. Prior to that day I had never been on the Peninsula. Immediately after my interview and meeting the students and staff of Bremerton High School, I found my community. For fourteen years I taught video and television production at BHS and Mt. View Middle School and I loved it everyday. In 2010, I got my certification in School Administration but remained teaching. I didn’t have the desire to leave the place that I fell in love with nine years earlier. Since finishing my admin certification I subbed in an administrative capacity at several schools in Bremerton and found I enjoyed that work as well. In 2012, I was offered an Assistant Principal position at BHS and accepted it because I felt I could make a positive impact on the students, staff and community of Bremerton High School. I stayed in that position until the end of last year where I felt the responsibility to step up to the principal role when the position was opened.
As an Interim Principal, I had the opportunity to “test drive” the principal position and I found I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the new challenges the principal position offered me and I realized that this is the last job I want. I see myself leading Bremerton High School out of the struggles of the pandemic to get to a better place than we were pre-pandemic. This year has been challenging, but I feel I have already made a positive impact on the school and community through the implementation of an informal recognition system in our “B Recognized” program as well as our celebration of cultures with or cultural B flag stickers that represent the students' heritage and communities of origin. Academically, we are working to give students hope again. Hope that will lead them to a path of success. One way we are doing this is developing flexibility in our classes to be able to transition a student in a new direction if the current path they are on is not successful.
I have been in Bremerton for twenty-one years and I have made this place my home. My children are products of the Bremerton School District and my wife is also a teacher at BHS. Along with Bremerton Schools being our family business, I have also embraced this community and the rich history becoming President of the Semancik Memorial Foundation, a non-profit that supports the students at Bremerton High School through college scholarships and projects like our Semancik Letterman Jackets, inspirational BHS Alumni display case and also providing support to projects that are brought to us that are good for kids.
Besides being a loving father and husband, working at Bremerton has been the biggest honor of my life. It’s truly a call to duty to work here. Allowing me to grow and develop as a leader in the building has been a challenge that I eagerly meet every day. I love Bremerton and I’m excited to be the Principal of Bremerton High School. Go Knights!
Sincerely,
Ryan Nickels
BHS Principal
Bremerton School District
Email: communications@bremertonschools.org
Website: www.BremertonSchools.org
Location: 134 Marion Avenue North, Bremerton, WA, USA
Phone: 360-473-1000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BremertonSchools