Partnership Principal
Bob Rodriguez

Listen to Bob!

     Academics and student activities have had their share of success at New Braunfels High School in Texas, but Principal Bob Rodriguez is especially excited about the connections his students are making with the community.

     “Civic connections are a big part of our school.” reports Rodriguez. “Community service teaches important lessons to young people, and our students are always ready to support our city.”

     This commitment to connections was apparent at the 2007 Summer Leadership Institute when the New Braunfels High Junior ROTC color guard presented the colors at the opening reception.

    “Our color guard is willing to contribute to anything the community needs” said Rodriguez, who has been principal at New Braunfels High since 2005. “Our master sergeant doesn’t blink when a request comes in. The color guard has appeared at everything from the annual county fair to all school ceremonies.”

  Under the leadership of its student council, New Braunfels students work with youth sports teams, health organizations, and other community groups. They also participate in Youth Leadership New Braunfels, a program of the Chamber of Commerce that teaches young people the history, tradition and future of New Braunfels.

    While ‘connections’ are a focus at the school, which has faculty of 125 classroom teachers, academic and activity programs have also been highly successful. The school recently received a Gold Performance Acknowledgement for its Advanced Placement program, having 15 percent of its juniors and seniors taking AP tests and earning a three or higher.

  “We give our 2,000 students high expectations from behavior to academics,” Rodriguez explained. “Our school is rich in tradition, and we are proud of our past and current success. We also look to the future for additional challenges and achievements.”

   The New Braunfels AP program has also been featured in Newsweek magazine and is one of the programs that demonstrates how high expectations for all students pay off.

     “We strongly promote our AP classes, and they are open to any student who believes he or she can be successful in them,” Rodriguez says. “These classes allow the teacher and students to expand on lessons and create greater rigor. Students who take AP courses will be better prepared to succeed in college.”

   Rodriguez, who has been in education for 22 years, is also proud of his fine arts and arts program. The school’s band annually has 300-plus participants and two years ago was named one of the top 10 bands in Texas among 4A schools.

    “We have a strong commitment to support fine arts on our campus,” reports Rodriguez. “To limit opportunities to participate in fine arts would be a real disservice to students. A young person will become a well-rounded citizen of the community by being exposed to fine arts.”

    Likewise, New Braunfels High, a 9-12 comprehensive high school, has seen its share of success in athletics, having three grads currently playing in the National Football League and two years ago finishing in the top 10 for the Lone Star Cup, an award for participation and success in interscholastic sports.

   An important component to the school’s success is a committed faculty, one aspect of what keeps Rodriguez excited about being a high school principal.

   “I thoroughly enjoy working with professionals and helping them reach their potential and help determine the direction the school is going,” Rodriguez said. “The average experience level of our teachers is about 15 years. Having experienced and new teachers on a faculty is a great combination. Young teachers bring tremendous enthusiasm to the school, while our veteran teachers have the proverbial full tool box .”

   As the school’s leader, Rodriguez sees his most important responsibility maintaining an environment that is conducive to learning.

    ”Teachers and students need to feel comfortable to learn and to be creative. When they walk into the classroom, the only thing they need to worry about is being academically successful.”

    As Rodriguez strives to provide teachers and students the best opportunity to learn, he finds that The Principals’ Partnership is helping him reach that goal.

   “Seeing the commonalities and differences between our school and those of other principals is very enlightening to me. The Partnership has given me insights to make things better at our school and has validated some of the things we are already doing.”

    More information about New Braunfels High School can be found at www.newbraunfels.txed.net/hsweb/index/html, and Rodriguez can be contacted at rrodriguez@newbraunfels.txed.net.

Past Focus Principals:

Focus- Bob Rodriguez
Focus- John Brumley
Focus- Nancy York
Focus- Jerrylyn Jones
Focus- Gloria Erkins
Focus- Ron Sing
Focus- Bill Hittman
Focus- Jeanene Sampson
Focus- David Gilligan
Focus - Joy Walton
Focus- William Roberts
Focus- Franklyn Wesley
Focus- Magdalena Gutierrez
Focus- Kent Bergum
Focus- William "Rick" Johnson
Focus- Ken Ball
Focus- Dan Tenuta
Focus- Charlesetta Deason
Focus- Rene Posey
Focus- Stuart Baker
Focus- Paul Smith
Focus- Christie Gestvang
Focus- John A. Butterfield
Focus- Janie Hill Hatton
Focus- Steve Warmack
Focus- Glen Clark
Focus- Kittie D. Weston-Knauer
Focus- William Dunn
Focus - Richard Pemberton
Focus- Dr. Anthony Spivey
Focus - John Weigel