Aiming to garner growth through helping students work through their academic and social struggles, Mr. Michael Wuensch has taken on the role of a new assistant principal on campus after returning to the Austin area to continue his career in school administration.

After his senior year of college, Mr. Wuensch worked at the student recreation center on his university campus, and was approached by one of his colleagues to volunteer as a coach for local elementary school sports. Finding enjoyment in coaching students, Mr. Wuensch continued to coach students in the sports programs he participated in as a child while also working a job in sales and marketing. After moving to Austin, Mr. Wuensch decided to switch careers from sales to full-time teaching and coaching.

“I was in full-time sales marketing and advertising when I moved to Austin but I loved volunteering at children’s sports,” Mr. Wuensch said. “I really found that I loved coaching and working with kids so I eventually decided to turn it into a full-time job.”

Initially teaching eighth grade mathematics alongside coaching athletics at Grisham Middle School, Mr. Wuensch prioritized helping students struggling in school by helping them find joy in academics. After being encouraged by the principals he worked with, Mr. Wuensch pursued an administrative position and served as an assistant principal in numerous Round Rock ISD schools and eventually outside of the Austin area as well. After gaining his footing in the realm of administrative duties, Mr. Wuensch found himself applying to be an assistant principal at Westwood to once again serve the Austin community.

Joining the staff several months into the school year, Mr. Wuensch has had a rapid transition into his position as a new staff member to Westwood. While adjusting to a new environment with multiple novel procedures presents many challenges, Mr. Wuensch has found support amongst the administrative staff at Westwood.

“While the role is the same, the procedures are different compared to my last job which has presented a big learning curve,” Mr. Wuensch said. “The other administrators are very supportive, Ms. Campbell and Ms. Lowery [especially] have been helping me and been giving me a period of grace as I learn new procedures.”

As home to a diverse pool of students that each present their own unique challenges and contributions to the community, Westwood reflects a unique aspect to Mr. Wuensch. He believes that this characteristic of the campus and its students will keep changing his role and allow for an interesting and dynamic job experience. 

“You think about teaching and you often fall into a pattern with your classes which can very much be habitual,” Mr. Wuensch said. “But being an assistant principal is very different in that you have some difficult situations to handle but things tend to stay interesting.”

One of Mr. Wuensch’s main goals is to go beyond the procedural aspects of his jobs and assimilate thoroughly into the student and staff community. He believes that being able to be a part of the community at Westwood will allow him to do his job better and be more than just an assistant principal to students.

“If I can walk away from this year knowing that I did a good job at making relationships with students, teachers and other Westwood staff I’ll be glad,” Mr. Wuensch said. “Learning procedures is a natural part of any job, but establishing good productive relationships is what can really make you successful.”

Hoping to cultivate an environment of understanding in the community, Mr. Wuensch wants students to approach situations with curiosity rather than judgment, quoting the show Ted Lasso.

“The quote is ‘Be curious, not judgemental,’ and I think too often we look at a situation and we rush to judgment,” Mr. Wuensch said. “There are reasons people act the way they do based on outside situations and if you can get to why they may be acting a certain way, you can help them move in a positive direction.”