After years of commitment, leadership, and compassion, our beloved principal, Mr. Schenker is retiring from Westlake High School. As one way to honor his incredible impact on students, staff, and community, I was able to sit down with him for an interview, where he shared with me his reflections and stories from the past 15 years. 

 

Before applying to this position, he actually never heard of Westlake before, and even though he grew up in Mahopac, he never specifically heard anything about our school, but was more than happy to learn about it when he began the interview process. 

 

According to Schenker, Westlake, when he first started, was a completely different community, and when he stepped in, his goal was to switch the narrative and change the vibe of the building. It was important to him for the administration to be out in the hallways, interacting with the kids, instead of remaining in the office. It was his utmost goal to create a culture where “voices are heard and people feel like they actually belong.”

 

In reflecting, the most growth Mr. Schenker has seen is in connection to how students have come to expect their high school experience; he knows students see it from a preparatory standpoint of getting ready for future life. In fact, he actually even added that the most positive change from 2010 to 2025 was how students’ viewpoints have shifted, as they now see Westlake as a place that acts as a jumping point to where they want to go in life. 

 

Thanks to many of the changes he has personally brought to Westlake, such as block scheduling and adoptions to programs, Westlake which originally only had 8 AP courses now offers between 23-24 depending on the year. He has also supported new additions to the 9th grade wheel and elective courses in each subject area. Because of his support of teachers and programming, students have so many more options to explore, enabling them to have a richer high school experience connected to paths they may want to travel down in their futures. 

 

Although positive change has been his most notable experience, there were some challenges along the way that stem from the intrusion of outside forces trying to change or flip a narrative on Westlake. These outside forces simply don't understand the strong relationship shared by the community and students, but he always did.

 

In examining education as a whole, Mr. Schenker noted that the biggest nationwide change he’s witnessed is the fact that there is now the beginning of realization that college is not for everybody. This is an awareness that he believes will hit New York State more boldly in the future in order to broaden students' awareness in a positive way. He wants all students to be mindful of the fact that they can still be highly successful in a tradeschool, as college isn’t necessary for everybody. 

 

Although there are parts of the principalship that were mundane to him - the paperwork, the reports, etc. - that he will not miss once retiring, he is certain that he will miss his interactions with students, faculty, parents and the community. In fact, he said, “Just being able to be you and see kids performing and see teachers doing their job and doing it well, seeing communities celebrate and be excited by what’s happening” is going to be his biggest loss.  

 

While knowing that Westlake was a beautiful chapter in his life, Mr. Schenker does look forward to the next: moving to Florida, where he’s never lived before, as it will be a brand new venture. The excitement surrounding the next phase of his life where he will experience new opportunities while not being tied down allows for the freedom to explore. While in beautiful, sunny Florida, he will reconnect with his passions during his unoccupied time and hopes to discover many new ones. 

 

On behalf of the entire school community, thank you, Mr. Schenker, for your years of dedication, change and promise. Your presence has made a lasting impact on our community and we will miss you. 

 

Enjoy your well-earned retirement and know that you will always be a part of the Westlake family.