October is National Principals Month.

It’s time to give principals a hand in providing the best education and leadership possible. Principals all over the world guide and support their schools in big ways. 

Alan Waligura, IHS Principal, talks about what inspired him to become a principal.

“I genuinely love helping people. When I started college, I was going through sports medicine,” he said.  “It led me down the teaching path, and I wanted to help other teachers so from there I went into administration. From there, I became a principal.”  

Waligura explains that all Frisco ISD principals have the same philosophy to help students succeed. Waligura’s goal is to ensure that IHS students have the tools they need to succeed.

“Whether that’s academics, life situations, sports, fine arts or whatever. We’re here to help guide and mentor. All the principals lean on each other to achieve this goal.”

Mrs. Arenallo shares why Mr. Waligura is a vital part of Independence High School (IHS). 

“Mr Waligura makes IHS a better place. He’s very approachable, he loves the staff and students, and his motto is ‘Do what’s best for the children.’ and he stands by that.”

Waligura said his favorite part of being a principal is being able to walk around and visit with the students. 

“I don’t think I could do a job that requires me to sit behind a desk eight hours a day. I like the interaction and being involved in our students’ lives,” said Waligura. “I went to the tennis playoffs match yesterday, and I’m going to the district cross country meet, volleyball game, and the football game this weekend. I love doing these fun things and being able to support the kids and watch them be successful,” Waligura adds. 

He shared that the hardest part of his job is when people are going through tough times. Whether this is a staff member going through something heavy, or students dealing with personal issues, it can be sad. 

“But this is where we step in and see how we can support the student and their family through these tough times,” Waligura said. 

Mr. Waligura always has an open door policy so any student or teacher can always get the support they need.

Our IHS assistant principals, Mrs. Hughes, Mr. Weiss, Mr. Garcia and Mrs. Sena,  are also dedicated to the students and staff.

“Our assistant principals visit with the kids more and make that connection with the kids,” Arenallno said.

The IHS administration and counseling team has been doing special things for the principals this month and plans to continue showing their appreciation  The district also sent Tiff’s Treats to show their appreciation to all the principals in the district.