New principal starts at elementary/middle school

A new face has joined the staff in the Wittenberg-Birnamwood School District.

After 14 years of teaching elementary education on the Menominee Reservation and in Clintonville, Nick Firari began his position as the principal of the Wittenberg Elementary-Middle School on July 1.

“I have been all in the elementary level — kindergarten to fourth grade,” said Firari. “I am the oldest of seven and have been around kids my entire life. Working with youth is what I always wanted to do, and teaching is a way to do that.”

Firari said that he was attracted to the Wittenberg-Birnamwood School District to not only further his career, but also to experience what the community has to offer.

“Even though I got to see all the kids at my previous school, I just felt like I could really help support an entire building with teachers, families and students,” said Firari. “Being from Shawano and working in Clintonville, I reached out to a couple of contacts and they told me to apply for the position, because I will love the community, staff and the admin team in general. I heard nothing negative about the area.”

He noted that the school district has strong community support.

“It is a special place that will have a lot of backing from the community members,” said Firari.

With this being his first year in administration, Firari is expecting to see some day-to-day differences from teaching.

“Haivng that elementary background, I am going to have to get myself acclimatised to that middle school level,” said Firari. “With teaching, I had a blueprint of what was going on, stepping into an admin role, it is much different from lesson plans.”

As he recently began his position, Firari is already looking forward to some goals that he wants to meet.

“One of my big things is that I want to be a support — I want to provide services for our students, families and staff,” said Firari. “I want to provide an educational experience for these students that is impactful and really makes a difference.”

Firari said that in order to accomplish this goal, he will continue to build relationships with community members and families.

“We need the students’ families and the community,” said Firari. “I have already met some community members and staff. In the next month, between preparing for the coming school year, just forming those relationships with my staff and the community would be one of my early goals.”

He added that he will join teachers and students in classrooms and around the school, once the school year begins.

“I am a busy body,” said Firari. “That’s where those connections are made. That’s where you see the awesome things that are happening, because we want to showcase those things. That’s also another area where I can be supportive, like helping teachers out with plans and supplies. I want to make their teaching even more meaningful to the students.”

Firari believes that the community will learn that he will be a supportive part of the Wittenberg-Birnamwood School District.

“I think the community will really understand that I am truly here to help and support and I truly want to make that home-to-school connection to help support our students,” said Firari. “We want the students to understand that they are a part of the community and that they have a role here.”

lreimer@newmedia-wi.com