When the 2011-12 school year began, the new school year saw many changes at MHS, and maybe the biggest change was that for the first time in seven years, the school had a new principal.

After four months on the job, Principal Kevin Mckenna’s first semester at Milford High School has gone smoothly, said Eric Dziobak, assistant principal. 

As a former teacher and assistant principal, McKenna’s experience helped him shift  into his new position with fewer problems than during most transitions. “Being principal at Muir was a good foundation,” said Dziobak.

McKenna admitted that being a high school principal has always been one of his aspirations and when he heard the position would be open, he jumped at the opportunity. McKenna said the response and help from other staff members has made his first semester a good one. 

As the year began, McKenna had many goals; one of them was to make the school a “greener” place. McKenna felt that putting more resources online  would help to save money and make it easier for students and their families. Everything from registering for classes to administering discipline online would make everything more efficient, he explained. E20-20 is just one of many ideas to help automate the school.

Also, two things that McKenna finds very significant are efficiency and consistency. He feels that consistency and fairness go together, and fairness is something that he values. Efficiency is a reoccurring thing to McKenna. He wants students to walk out of Milford High after graduation and feel proud to tell people where he or she went to school.

How does administration choose what needs fixing? When McKenna picks out what needs to get done Dziobak said that he asks, “Where are we? Where do we want to be? How do we get there?”

He also said that McKenna is a very hands-on-kind of guy For example, McKenna is a “top dog,” and that helps him to be a great administrator. McKenna came in and helped with changes that were already occurring in the building along with administering some of his own.

One characteristic of McKenna seems to be modesty and teamwork because when asked what his biggest accomplishment this year was, he immediately talked about how it wasn’t about his achievements and that he didn’t need self-pride. He stressed the amount of teamwork that occurred for his transition to be made. Then he said that a big accomplishment made was the transition of two administrators, himself and Assistant Principal Michele Butler, the high school’s new co-assistant principal.

On the business side of being a principal, McKenna said that his biggest challenge this semester has been keeping up with all of the changes in the law. Keeping up with the adjustments, he admitted, “is a big time commitment. It requires a lot of research.”

Another change from middle school is the amount of extracurricular activities. McKenna said that a big difference from middle school to high school is the sheer size. From the students to the teachers to the building, everything he said is five times bigger. McKenna said that tries to go to at least one event for each sport.  He explained that it is a good way to spend time with his family.

Overall, McKenna said that his transition is not over yet and it is still a work in progress, but that his first semester has gone well. He looks forward to seeing how the school improves over the next semester and over the years he will be at MHS because the changes he is making now are not for instant results but for long term improvement and success.