Skylines assistant principals Tim Mundt and Lynda Tierney have been proud Eagles for many years, but, to students’ dismay, this will be their last year in the nest. This school has become known for not only its academics but also its positive environment, thanks to the leadership and effort in cultivating this culture. Tierney and Mundt have become the RISE and support icons that have helped make this school what it is today.

Half a dozen people in the Skyline community including students, teachers, admin and parents all had similar things to say about Tierney and Mundt: they recounted coming to Skyline and being greeted by their friendly smiles and upbeat personas. Without Mundt or Tierney, who would be at all the school events cheering on the students, helping each student succeed and most of all; who’s going to RISE the roof?

Tierney, also known as the MNM Queen, has been working at Skyline for 13 years and in the district for even longer, and feels lucky to have worked here so long. She’s retiring to be able to travel the world while she’s young and healthy. After she retires, she plans on buying an insurance plan through Granite district, for all her adventures ahead. She wants to climb the Blarney castle steps, and kiss the Blarney statue, which is not an easy feat. What she’ll miss the most about Skyline is the students. She says, “You just love them all. I don’t judge. I just love them for every choice they’re trying to make and every improvement they’re trying to do, and to get to watch them grow is the best part of my job.”

Watching the students grow, graduate, and find their lives has been her favorite part about being a teacher and administrator. “As an educator, I’m always learning as well, and so sometimes I learn how to deal with kids better, how to listen more. That’s one of the things the kids have taught me, is to not jump to conclusions and to listen to their story,” she says. Tierney says that over the years, “It’s been interesting to watch the dynamics of how even the kids are different. What their focuses are, what they find humorous, little things like that are even fun.”

She shows endless care and support for each student who she gets to interact with. Not only does Ms Tierney care for and help students, but she also has been a big support to those who work at Skyline. Mundt says, “She was always willing to help me as I was new to Skyline and newer to administration than she was.” He even said that she sat with him for a 3 hour training about master schedules that she wasn’t required to attend, to show her support. 

Mundt has been at Skyline for 4 years, and worked as an educator for 17 years.  He will be stepping away from Skyline and working at a middle school in the district next year. He has enjoyed the students’ achievements and coming to games, but it has been challenging to be able to spend time with his family, with the responsibility being an assistant principal. He says, “Truthfully, as an assistant at the high school level, you spend a lot of evenings working games. […] I was a teacher for four years, and I always wanted to go to games, and I would occasionally go. But it was hard to leave my family to go to a game.”

Although he is leaving, Skyline will remember him for his cheerful energy, his want for kids to succeed, and most of all for “Rising the Roof,” a term he coined, to celebrate students and help them remember to show the ideas listed in RISE. Mundt says that he will be taking with him the lessons he learned from working at Skyline. He says, “Skyline has really emphasized to me, if you have high expectations for students, students work hard to achieve those expectations […] I really feel like Skyline is a place of high expectations, and those expectations are met.”

About him, Tierney says, “He loves making things better for the students, he goes out of his way to help, and to get into the nitty-gritty of what really can help a student, instead of just going, ‘Oh, here’s a Band-Aid,’ what we can really do to help a person.”

Students say they will be missing them both. Ella Male, a student at Skyline who helps in the front office, said, “I transferred here my Junior year and getting to know both of them made it a little bit of a smoother transition. […] What I’m probably going to miss most about Miss Tierney is just her happiness and her peppy attitude. She’s just so excited about everything and wants everyone to be happy.” Students even recognize Tierney at places like Walmart, and aren’t scared to say hello.

Nandhini Ramanathan gave a prime example of how Mundt truly connects and helps the students he interacts with. She had just moved from Australia her Junior year. At lunch when Mr. Mundt saw her in the hallway, he didn’t hesitate to reach out and find people for her to sit with. She said what she’s really going to miss most about the vice principals is “their smile and how they always greet us in the hallway.” 

RISE stands for Resilience, Integrity, Support, and Excellence, values that Skyline students embody through the support of these administrators. They always seem to be plotting new ways to engage and help students succeed, but, beyond that, they have helped so many students on a personal level. Both of these administrators made it clear how much love, passion and care they have for their job and for Skyline. The school celebrated their contributions with a clap-out in the halls last week as a token of appreciation, and hopes that they will continue to fly even after their time as an Eagle.