My name is Addie Klaehn, and I am thrilled to be the interim secondary principal for HCS. I have worked in Honeoye since the fall of 2004, teaching 9th-12th grade English and 6th-12th grade AIS and Remediation classes. During the 2018-19 school year, I was an instructional coach for the district. My absolute favorite part about working here is getting to spend my day with such amazing students. I have always been awestruck over the overwhelming pride and joy that the students of HCS bring to the faculty, staff, and community, and am grateful for the opportunity to spend my days among you-the students-from September to June.
I am the mother of two boys (ages 10 and 12), who keep my husband and me busy as we support them in their school work and extracurricular activities, and we love to spend as much time as possible enjoying the beauty of the Finger Lakes Region boating, hiking, and swimming; absorbed in all things Harry Potter and The Avengers; and taking every chance we get to rest, recuperate, and slow down what can be a hectic lifestyle.
My goal during my time as acting principal is to foster relationships between students, faculty, and families. My wish is for HCS to be a place where people are happy to be every day. This doesn’t mean we won’t all have bad days, because they are inevitable. Rather, when we find ourselves feeling glum, we know that we can turn to our classmates and colleagues for a little brightness. I hope that each of you will be the light for someone at some point this year. There’s a great quote from Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. It says, “...happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” Sometimes this is a struggle, and we need someone else to help us find the light switch. At the end of the day, you are each responsible only for yourselves, but a simple act of kindness or asking for help on someone else’s behalf can truly make a difference. I’m going to be on the lookout for behaviors that demonstrate the characteristics of a True BLUE Honeoye Bulldog: Bravery, Leadership, Understanding, and Empathy. I hope that by the end of the year, each student in grades 6-12 is recognized for one of these characteristics. If any student body can meet this challenge, it is this one.
Welcome to the 2019-2020 school year, HCS! I can’t wait to what you can do.