My name is Steve Pettit, and I became the principal prior to the 2012-13 school year. I have been an administrator at Southeast Polk High School since 2005. Before entering administration, I taught high school mathematics and coached within the West Des Moines Schools. I have received all of my post-secondary education at Drake University including my Master of Science and Specialist degrees in education leadership along with my K-12 principal’s and superintendent’s licensure.
We are honored to educate the students of our district, and our vision is to prepare students for college, career, and civic life. The primary responsibility of the principal is to keep the mission of our school district as the driving force behind the work of our high school staff; therefore, my focus will be on student engagement, ensuring our students are provided a challenging curriculum, and working with our teachers to deliver quality instruction within a safe and supportive learning environment.
We believe that each student can learn at a high level and become the person he or she aspires to be. The high school instructors are experts in their fields, and they are excited for the opportunity to guide our students through a rigorous and relevant curriculum. Our teachers embrace the Iowa Core as it is geared to prepare students for college, career, and civic life. In addition to our core curriculum, we offer 12 Advanced Placement (AP) courses and more than 30 additional courses which offer college credit through Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC).
The instructional model at our high school follows the framework of the Gradual Release of Responsibility and professional learning communities which focus on learning, collaboration, and results. We have developed a series of supportive and intensive intervention programs for those students who need more assistance while also differentiating instruction to meet the needs of students who desire additional challenges.
In addition to our academic program of studies, we offer a wide variety of extracurricular activities including approximately 20 athletic programs and many more clubs and activities. We believe that all students should get involved in a school organization as each group promotes learning experiences, leadership opportunities, and safe and supervised fun.
We encourage each person within our students’ support system to become involved in both the education of his or her child and the larger school community. We are dedicated to serving our community and are available to help students learn; please let us know how we can better serve you and your child. We wish you the best at Southeast Polk High School, and we encourage you to take advantage of all we have to offer.
If there is something we can assist you with, please do not hesitate to contact me at 967-6631 or stephen.pettit@southeastpolk.org.
