Central Point School District 6 has selected Scott Dippel as Crater High School’s new principal starting in the fall. The district announced late last year that the high school will transition from its current organization of three small schools with three principals under the Crater High umbrella into one school, under one principal, with Principal Dippel leading the school into the new era.
While the position is new for Dippel, the Crater High alumnus is quite familiar with the school. He has also served as an educator and principal at the elementary, middle and high school levels over the past two decades--serving as principal at Jewett Elementary School, Patrick Elementary School, Hanby Middle School, and most recently, Crater School of Business, Innovation & Sciences for more than 16 years.
“He’s a well-rounded, skilled individual who’s constantly shown dedication to the community and is a great fit for this school as we go through innovative changes,” said Superintendent Davenport. “(There’s been) a lot of encouragement from the public that the district made the right direction and he’s the right person to lead Crater High School through this period of change.”
Principal Dippel has a developed vision of the future at Crater (High School) and has strong ideas around making sure students have a strong foundation from ninth grade into the upper grades, and he has a very strong desire make sure kids have as many choices as possible in their high school experience.
Starting in fall 2024, Dippel will manage Crater High School as the sole principal, and the three small schools will be phased out in favor of one unified educational institution. In support of broadening our High School offerings and overall school improvement at Crater High School, we will make the following changes :
• Single School Principal: We will move from a multi-principal structure to a single school principal and administrative team in 2024-25, which will lead to more efficient decision-making and resource allocation.
• Unified Communication & Data Platform: During the summer of 2024, we will streamline our administrative processes by combining our three existing student information systems into one unified software platform (Synergy). This transition will enable us to better serve our students, enhance our overall operational efficiency and improve communication.
• Expansion of Career and Technical Education: We are committed to offering multiple career and college pathways for our students, recognizing current/future workforce demands and the unique aspirations and talents of our students. This spring and beyond, we will engage in collaborative planning to expand our programs.
Principal Dippel wants to "connect kids to learning pathways that can give exposure to industries, careers and college paths. We’ve got an incredibly diverse and strong and talented staff, and I want every kid be able to access those teachers and programs,” he said.
Beyond the school’s transformation, Principal Dippel is focused the transition for students, stating, “I think a big piece of it is to create a foundational structure to ease the transition from middle to high school,” Principal Dippel added, “As a former middle school principal and teacher, I recognize how difficult that transition can be.”
--RV Times, Reporter James Sloan