Following former Assistant Principal Kendra Kelley‘s promotion to the Curriculum and Instruction department, the administration has hired Adonai John-Shiman.

“It is with mixed emotions that I announce my separation from Southwest Career and Technical Academy as Assistant Principal,” Former Assistant Principal Kendra Kelley said on the school website. “I have recently been promoted to Coordinator IV, Social Studies where I will provide professional development, curricular support, and guidance to all stakeholders in support of Social Studies programs in the Clark County School District.”

Shiman is set to assume a majority of her predecessor’s duties, including her work with math assessments and shaping curriculum to ensure students succeed.

“A lot of my work is with math [testing],” Shiman said. “I’ve been working with the math teachers, students, and testing. I’ve just been getting myself familiar with the assessments and how I’m going to support the students and the staff with executing those assessments and making sure that we push our students to meet that bar.”Shiman plans to bring her experiences as an administrator and a teacher in her hometown of Brooklyn, New York to encourage further excitement and passion for learning.

“The excitement of education is sometimes removed from high school,” Shiman said. “One of the main reasons why I wanted to get into a tech school is because I think it brings in those hands-on skills for students and that was something I love, but really just bringing out the passion that I witnessed teachers had in New York and just making sure that I can support teachers to bring up that passion.”

As an applicant, Shiman stood out amongst other candidates with unique qualifications in administration and leadership.

“We were trying to find someone like Ms. Kelley with the ability to do the same tests that assistant principals should be able to do,” Assistant Principal Cameron Roehm said. “Ms. Shiman had a good natural presence to her, she knew her material, and she was very qualified for the position. It really made her stand out.”

Shiman hopes she can stay true to her work and the motivations behind it during her time at SWCTA.

“My expectation is always to stay true to myself and why I do the work that I’ve done for so many years,” Shiman said. “Aside from being an administrator, I also was a classroom teacher for over 12 years. I never want to forget how at times, it was daunting, how at times I was frustrated and never forgetting that as an administrator is important.”

Overall, Shiman aims to promote learning for all students and even herself.

“We should always be learners,” Shiman said. “No matter how many years you spend in a career, you’re still forever learning. For me, I just want to continue to learn and grow. High school is a new beast for me, so I just really want to tackle every task and do it to my best ability. I have to kind of push that aside at times and remember that sometimes you’re not going to get everything right and that’s okay.”