New Boss Loves Fishing, Family

Chris Jenson, the new face of Highland, is often seen at the front doors welcoming students in the morning, cheering at all the sporting events and talking with kids at lunch. Jenson, taking over Paul Schulte’s position as principal, has much more to him than the familiar face that we see, passing in the hallways.

When Jenson first found out that the superintendent from the district, Dr. Garcia, came and offered him the position as head principal, he was speechless.

“I was shocked, this has been my dream job forever, and I never thought that someone in my situation would have the possibility of getting this job, I was floored,” Jenson said.

No emotion could more accurately describe Jenson’s feelings than that of pure excitement. Being at Highland for more than 20 years, Jenson says he eats, breathes, lives and loves Highland. Cherishing the community and atmosphere of the school, there is no other job that could compare to this for Jenson. But being the new principal of Highland is not all of what Chris Jenson’s life is made up of.

Mr. Jenson has been married to his wife, Angie, for 25 years.  He has two kids, Lindy and Chad, who are both attending college.  Jenson’s family has supported him through his journey and is thrilled about the adventure he is about to embark on. Jenson explains that his wife wasn’t really surprised when he told her the news.

“I was excited for him! He’s been working toward becoming a principal for some time and when he was offered the position at Highland he was thrilled. It’s home to him,” Jenson’s wife Angie said.

Along with spending time with his family, Jenson has many hobbies. He calls himself a “fly fishing addict”, and also enjoys mountain biking, motocross, painting, and making YouTube videos. Call our new principal famous, for he has more than seventy videos, many subscribers and over 40,000 views. Most of his videos capture his variety of fly fishing trips, bringing the endless stories about his incredible experiences to life. The remarkable footage is well worth watching.

Fly fishing is his place where he can go and think about life, especially his thoughts on becoming the principal of Highland.  If you ever have to visit Principal Jenson’s office, you will find multiple fly fishing rods and painting of his own displayed throughout the room.

More than anything though, Jenson wants to make Highland and its community the best it can be. Running an entire school can prove to be very difficult and Jenson’s biggest fear is not attending to everyone’s needs, and forgetting things that he shouldn’t. His excitement and love for this school overpowers the little fears, as Jenson states that all he wants to do is serve others.

“I believe that true leadership is service, this position gives me the opportunity to serve on a another level, I want to help teachers, students, families and the community. That’s what excites me the very most,” Jenson said.

Jenson feels like Highland is on a good path as far as the school year goes, and is hoping to keep things running smoothly. If he gets the opportunity in the future he would love to add some things to make Highland even better. Ultimately, Jenson wants to make high school as fun as possible. Being the winner of his high schools arm wrestling contest as a freshman, Jenson loves tradition, and is planning on keeping the school spirit and tradition of Highland alive and strong.

Principal Jenson is thrilled about becoming the new leader of the school, and is so excited to see what impact he will make. And as Jenson’s mom has always said to him, “The harder you work, the luckier you get.”