West Virginia University’s Kevin Pittsnogle now principal of Martinsburg North Middle School
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MARTINSBURG -- As Martinsburg North Middle School prepares for the upcoming school year after being placed in a state of emergency by the West Virginia Department of Education, Kevin Pittsnogle takes the reins as the new principal.
With many years of experience working with Berkeley County Schools, Pittsnogle aims to offer a better educational experience for students.
Although Pittsnogle started his teaching career at North Middle in 2008 as a special education teacher, he's likely best known around the Mountain State for his outstanding basketball career with West Virginia University.
The 6-foot-11 center led the Mountaineers to the Elite Eight in 2005 and the Sweet 16 in 2006. He became West Virginia's first basketball All-American since 1972 and finished his career with 253 3-pointers -- a school record at the time that's since only been eclipsed by Alex Ruoff.
Since then, he's held several positions in both Berkeley and Morgan counties, including serving as the assistant principal at Musselman High School. As assistant principal, Pittsnogle was responsible for dealing with disciplinary issues and several other administrative duties.
After seeing this position become available, Pittsnogle thought it would provide a lot of new opportunities and believed he could provide the support the school needs. Pittsnogle will be working closely with Director of Secondary Schools Holly Kleppner, who is acting as the Berkeley County Board of Education's representative and is the liaison between the state and the school.
The state Board of Education declared a state of emergency at the school in May, citing multiple violations and disciplinary issues, including documentation of around 160 fights and 23 Title IX violations. State Superintendent Michelle Blatt said at the time that the motion was made based on factors "including but not limited to the unhealthy or unsafe conditions for students or employees, the school's failure to provide high quality and equal educational opportunities for students, deficiencies in instructional leadership and support for school improvement."
The state board approved an action plan last month aimed at improving Martinsburg North Middle's teaching and learning environment.
Though Pittsnogle, a Martinsburg High graduate, has just taken the position, he's already had meetings with Kleppner to talk about their plans for the upcoming school year and how they will best serve the students.
"A lot of what I'm trying to incorporate is going to be the structure, the consistency, just being transparent and making sure that we're doing everything we can do to build our staff to be able to help the students as much as possible," he said.
Pittsnogle is passionate about education, because he values relationships and connecting with students. He hopes to not just focus on discipline but get out of the office and find ways to connect with students and build their trust. He enjoys being able to watch students grow and see what they accomplish in the future and wants to help students at North Middle become good citizens.
As North Middle enters the new school year, Pittsnogle hopes to focus on setting the right expectations for both staff and students and making sure everyone knows what's to be expected. The main goal of the school will be to educate the students coming in, and Pittsnogle believes the best way to do that is to make sure everyone is on the same page.
"So, if we can work together and do those things, I think we can be successful," he said. "But it's not just going to be me. The misconception is that the principal's going to fix it all, and that's just not how it works. It's going to be a team effort."
The support the school needs doesn't just come from the staff but also from the community. Pittsnogle is excited to be a part of something bigger than himself and looks forward to the year to come. He encourages parents and other community members to learn how they can be involved in making North Middle better.