Heather D. Wolf

George Washington Elementary School
Kingsport City Schools
Kingsport, Tennessee
hwolf@k12k.com

As principal of George Washington Elementary School (GWES) for the past eight years, Heather D. Wolf has positioned herself as “lead listener” and “lead learner” to mobilize the talents of all stakeholders on the school’s journey of putting its whole-child educational philosophy into practice. To orient this work, Wolf led a collaborative process to identify eight core life skills that now permeate all aspects of school culture, serving as the basis for social and emotional learning lessons, behavioral supports, and restorative conflict resolution. The school has also adopted a highly individualized approach to supporting the personal development of its students and offers a wide array of opportunities to pursue passions and interests through clubs, leadership education, exploration of the arts, and the school’s growing emphasis on STEM. GWES students increasingly have the opportunity to choose the subject matter, direction and path of their studies, taking accountability for their academic success, while studying real-world issues like immigration and the environment. These efforts have resulted in recognition by the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network, adding to the distinction of being named a Tennessee Reward School and a Bronze Level Model of Demonstration School for MTSS. Wolf holds a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from Indiana University; a Master of Education in Early Childhood Education from East Tennessee State University, where she has also served as an Adjunct Faculty; and an Education Specialist degree from Lincoln Memorial University.