When SHS principal Barbara Brouwer announced her retirement, the minds of many students and staff members were instantly filled with the questions: who will replace her and how will they be chosen?

Perry Township Assistant Superintendent Robert Bohannon will be in charge of finding her replacement and says that he hopes to have the position filled in a couple months. He also says that he will be looking within the township first for a possible replacement. He will be leading a team composed of administrators, teachers, parents and students. Bohannon says he is looking for someone that will maintain the high performance level of SHS, continue to build relationships with students and staff and take risks that will continue to push the school along the path of success.

“It really is about the person,” Bohannon said. “It is going to be our charge to make sure that we do our best to bring someone in that’s going to continue on with the wonderful things that Ms. Brouwer has been doing over the past ten years. Getting the right person in that position is important to me.”

He later went on to add in an email to the Journal, “Commitment, dedication, servitude, and passion are just a few of the traits the next principal will possess.”

The process has several steps. The position is first posted for anyone who would like to apply. After that, resumes are then received and screened by Bohannon. After the resumes are screened, those chosen are interviewed by Bohannon and his team, and then one or two are chosen from all who applied. The interviewee chosen then goes to Perry Township Superintendent Dr. Thomas Little, who has the final say on who the new principal will be. However, principals already in the township have a chance to switch to SHS if they express interest to Bohannon.

At this time, assistant principals Kirby Schott and Amy Boone have said they are not interested in the position.

“I have four kids and a wife, and I feel like the time commitment is more than I am willing to offer at this time,” Schott said.

Southport Middle School principal Brian Knight would not comment on whether or not he would apply. However, he said, “It will be an interesting bridge to cross when we come to it.”

Brouwer says her contract doesn’t end until the end of June, so she will be here to help her replacement. Brouwer had no comment on who her replacement should be specifically, but she hopes Bohannon picks someone that will continue to put the students first as she has throughout her time at SHS.

“I hope the next principal can take care of the tray issue in the cafeteria because I couldn’t do that,” Brouwer said. “The next principal, I hope, loves kids as much as I do, makes every decision with students’ interest first and will continue some of the things that we have started here.”

Bohannon says that Brouwer is one of the best administrators that he has had the opportunity to meet and work with. Brouwer thinks that because of that they will look for someone like her when finding her replacement.

“If we were not doing well, I would think that they would try and find a principal that was very different from me,” Brouwer said, “but Southport High School is flying sky high right now. I really believe that they will try and figure out some of the good qualities, if I have some, and try and find a person that has those same kind of qualities when they find the next principal. It’s important to me that we continue where we are and continue to soar, because the school and the community deserve it.”

Whoever replaces Brouwer will be inheriting the best kids, best staff and best community in the whole world, according to Brouwer.