Assistant Principal

Kinnick High School - Assistant Principal

Greetings,

As a product of a small town, I am very excited to serve the close knit community of Yokosuka Naval Base as the Assistant Principal for Nile C. Kinnick High School.

I grew up in Ponca City, Oklahoma, an oil town in North Central Oklahoma. I traveled 80 miles a day to earn my undergraduate degree in secondary science education from Oklahoma State University. I spent the first eleven years of my teaching career in my hometown. The first five years were spent teaching middle school science and the last six years I served as the Advanced Placement Chemistry teacher for Ponca City Senior High School.

My parents always encouraged me to experience life to the fullest and traveling was very high on their list of experiences. After visiting much of the United States, I realized that the perfect combination of my two greatest passions, teaching and traveling, could be accomplished as a DoDDS educator.

My first DoDDS assignment was in Bahrain, a cultural experience which my family and I thoroughly enjoyed. Political circumstances, however, prevented the return of dependents during the summer of 2005, which resulted in our relocation to Wuerzberg American High School. With the impending closure of that school I transferred to Alconbury High School and had a productive year returning to my roots as a middle school science teacher.

During my teaching tenure, I have taught middle school science, IB Biology, IB Chemistry, AP Chemistry, General Physics, Chemistry Applications, and Environmental Science. I encourage students to fully participate in their educational experience and learn by doing. While I find many aspects of teaching rewarding, the greatest thrill for me is witnessing the light bulb of knowledge turn on for a struggling student.

To pursue my goal of having a positive impact on more students, I obtained my Masters in Educational Leadership from the University of Cincinnati, so I could play an active role as a DoDDS administrator. DoDDS consistently remains on the cutting edge of current educational theories and Kinnick High School maintains standards which are second to none and I consider myself quite fortunate to be a part of this exciting learning community.

My commitment to students, parents, and teachers alike is to Strive for Excellence and provide proactive support to individuals helping them achieve their goals.

Sincerely,

Shelly Kennedy
Assistant Principal Kinnick High School