The theater department’s creativity

In the ‘17-‘18 school year, Guillaume was invited to participate in the fall musical Curtains, a “whodunnit” muder mystery, playing the role of a police officer.

“The amount of creative energy that gets poured into just one [theater] production is something that, unless you’re involved with it, you really don’t understand it,” Guillaume said. “I was privileged to be involved with it.”

The athletic department’s grit

When Guillaume became principal, the first teams to win a state title were boy’s volleyball for second place and girls’ cross country for third place, back in 2015. These titles became a special memory to him.

“One of the coolest honors as an administrator is when you get to walk out with a team and get a metal draped
around your neck as they place in state,” Guillaume said. “It’s neat to be part of a group that has shown so much determination and grit for so many months.”

Guillaume is impressed with how much effort student athletes on junior varsity and varsity teams put into their sports, made possible with coaches’ mentoring.

“I’ve always been really proud of our kids and the adults that lead [varsity and JV] programs,” Guillaume said.

The music department’s excellence

“One of my favorite things to do is to bring my father to a music concert. I didn’t grow up playing [instruments or singing], but my dad did, so it’s fun to bring him to an event and have him look at me and say, ‘I cannot believe these are high school kids,’” Guillaume said.

The opportunities and rigor VHHS offers

“I tell [eighth graders at orientation], ‘you are going to be pushed. It is going to be hard, [but] you can do hard things. [VHHS] is not an easy place, but when you get to the finish line, you can look back and say, ‘Wow, they really pushed me. I was really challenged, but I made it,’” Guillaume said.

Guillaume hopes students can feel accomplished in their academics.

“Hopefully [students get] a sense of pride and accomplishment looking back [at their academic career],” Guillaume said. “[VHHS] doesn’t shy away from [rigor], we don’t apologize for it. We celebrate it, we encourage it, and we support kids along the way.”

Staff who provide meaningful supports for all kids

When Guillaume looks to the student services team, or anyone who works down at the LST, he sees a family — people who want VHHS students to succeed.

“[They have] genuine care and concern for the wellbeing of our kids, because we’re all part of the family,” Guillaume said.

The support these staff members provide students can have a lifelong impact.

“When I talk to kids who come back to visit, they come back to visit teachers, counselors — to visit someone who gave them support along the way,” Guillaume said.

Staff members’ caring leadership

Guillaume recalls his early years as principal and how, over the years, new positions were developed, with the work of those administrators having made a big difference to the school’s efficiency.

“Early in my tenure, [VHHS] had literacy coaches – Mrs. Macias and Mrs. Christian. [That position] morphed into tech coaches and now instructional coaches,” Guillaume said.

Guillaume is grateful to the efforts school leaders put into the school and how that has contributed to the staff’s growth.

“Those kinds of organic leaders have helped to develop and implement all sorts of really valuable learnings for the rest of our staff, and that’s something I’m really proud of,” Guillaume said. “I think [that’s] a really important piece to how we grow as an organization.”

Teachers’ commitment to students

Guillaume admires how VHHS teachers embrace their role as educators and go the extra mile to make themselves available to assist students, be it by skipping their lunch periods to help kids or coming to school
early in the morning for office hours.

“They actually want the best for these kids,” Guillaume said. “If a kid is willing to put in the effort, then the teachers say ‘heck yeah, let’s get that kid across the finish line.’”

The enthusiastic community involvement

The support of parents and community members was a pivotal force in building VHHS’s community early in the school’s history, something Guillaume appreciates.

He cites the Staff Appreciation Lunch, hosted in the VHHS gymnastics gym by parents, as a considerate act by the D128 community – it’s one of Guillaume’s favorite events.

“[Parents] don’t have to do it, but they do it because they love this community… they want the best for [VHHS], their kids and beyond. They really value what our staff is doing on a daily basis,” Guillaume said.