By Carol Stiffler
Newberry High School Principal Cliff Fossitt has accepted a job to become the new principal of Westwood High School, within the NICE Community School District. He will start there on January 6.
Fossitt said he’d been impressed with the NICE district and followed them on social media for a while before hearing about the job opening. He announced the change to the student body at an assembly for students in grades 7-12. The NICE Community School Board of Education made his job offer official at a school board meeting on Monday, November 25.
Fossitt is a 1996 graduate of Newberry High School, where he saw a lot of athletic success. He is currently in his seventh year as NHS principal.
Leaving is difficult for Fossitt, who says he truly enjoyed his time here. “I’ve formed a lot of really good relationships with a lot of the kids,” he said. “I know everyone’s name. I get fist bumps in the hallways. I’ll miss those relationships.”
Fossitt described all the students as good. “They don’t always make the best choices,” he said. “But they’re great kids.”
Superintendent Stacy Price said Fossitt will be missed.
“Cliff’s creative, out-of-the-box thinking and dedication has been a great asset to the district,” Price said. “The number one priority for Cliff has been ‘What is best for students, and how can I provide it?’”
Price said she wishes him the best. “I know that he will serve the students of the N.I.C.E. District with the same compassion and dedication that he has given the students at T.A.S.,” she said.
Excited to begin their new adventures in Ishpeming, Fossitt did offer some parting thoughts to faculty and students.
“For staff: Keep working hard, support each other, and keep taking care of our kids! You are excellent role models for our students and they are lucky to have you,” he said. “For students: be determined, focus on learning, and continue to grow as young men and women. You all have so much potential and I look forward to seeing the great things you will accomplish in the future. You will all be missed!”
Fossitt’s wife, Cassie, and children finish the current semester in Newberry before joining him in Ishpeming.
