Principal Duty of Tahoma HS Announces Retirement
Terry Duty, long time Tahoma employee and the current Tahoma HS principal, announced his intent to retire today. The following letter was sent out to parents.
Terry Duty
Dear Tahoma Family,
Tahoma High School Principal Terry Duty today announced his retirement to high school staff, effective at the end of the current school year. Principal Duty has been with the Tahoma School District since 1984 and is currently in his 26th school year as principal.
“I will miss so much about Tahoma, including the countless interactions I have each year with students, their families and our phenomenal staff,” Duty said. “There are Tahoma teachers who were my students. Former students of mine have grandchildren who will one day walk through these halls. There’s such an incredible team here that will continue to thrive and carry on the Tahoma tradition, so I know our students will be in great hands next school year.”
Duty joined Tahoma School District as a science teacher in 1984. He spent two years as an assistant principal before being named principal in 1996. Duty was selected as the Maple Valley Citizen of the Year in 2006 and was selected as the North Puget Sound League (NPSL) Principal of the Year. Most recently, he has served on the CEO network sponsored by the Association of Washington State Principals (AWSP), which connects businesses to top Washington state high schools.
Duty was principal during the construction of the new Tahoma High School, which opened its doors in 2017. He played a key role from design through construction opening the largest square footage high school in Washington state at the time. “Honor the Past, Live the Present and Create the Future” was a theme Duty wove into the school's design. Tahoma High School was presented as the winner of the 2017 Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) Project Achievement Award for our new school.
“We were extremely proud to bring a state-of-the-art high school to the center of our community,” Duty said. “It was a nearly five-year process from requesting a bond to the first day of school here. Less than three years later, COVID-19 forced us into remote learning. That made me want to see our students return and take full advantage of the opportunities that our amazing school offers. I believe that a person should leave a place better than they found it, and the successful return to in-person learning this year gave me the comfort that I’m doing just that.”
Other Tahoma High School accomplishments under Duty’s leadership include:
Being selected as a one of the “Nation’s Exclusive-100 Model High Schools” as nominated by OSPI
Multiple years recognized by Newsweek in “America’s Top Public High Schools” national ranking
Listed on the US News and World Report “Best High School” national rankings
Commended by the President of the United States for “Outstanding Achievement in Environmental Stewardship”
Named a U.S. Department of Education “Green Ribbon School” for sustainability practices
Multi-year winner of the Washington Achievement Award, presented by OSPI
“The positive impact that Terry has had on thousands of students and families in our community is undeniable, and we’re extremely grateful for all he’s done over the past 38 years,” said Tahoma School District Superintendent Mike Hanson. “We have a tremendous team of assistant principals, teachers and staff at Tahoma High School who will provide excellent support for a new principal, so our community can be assured that our high school will continue providing an exemplary education for all students.”
This Friday, Feb. 4, the district will post the high school principal job opening here. Applications will be accepted until Friday, Feb. 18 at 11:59 p.m. from any qualified person seeking to fill the position.
Also on Feb. 4, the district will share a public survey with families, staff and the local community asking for input that will guide a well-rounded hiring committee, which has not yet been selected, in their search for Tahoma’s next high school principal. The survey will ask respondents to identify characteristics that they believe are most important for the hiring committee to consider. The survey will be available from Friday, Feb. 4 until Monday, Feb. 14.
