My name is Andy Love, and I have the privilege of serving the students and families of West Elementary in the role of principal.  Though I was born and raised in Mid-Missouri, for the past 20 years I've served in numerous roles as an educator in southwest Missouri. In that time, I've been a classroom teacher, an athletic coach, an instructional coach, a collegiate writing instructor, an assistant principal, and most recently the principal of Bolivar Intermediate School. Each step in that journey has been a blessing, but now I am thrilled for the opportunity to come back to mid-Missouri and to join the Jefferson City Schools team at West Elementary. I'm equally excited that my family will also be part of the JC Schools community. My wife, Kelly Love, will be teaching mathematics at Capital City High School, while my three kids (all in high school) will also become Cavaliers this fall. 

 

One of my grandfather's favorite books was Robert Fulghum's book of essays, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. Though the title is specific to one grade, I like to think that there is some truth to that title that spans across the elementary grade levels. I look back on my elementary years in Auxvasse, and I know that there were formative learning experiences that happened K-5! In those grades, I learned more than just  academic content. I learned to love books, to be honest, to take responsibility, to share, to accept others who seem different than me, to work hard even when others weren't looking, to be very careful on the see-saw (lesson learned the hard way!)--and I learned those things because people like Cindy Galloway, Jeannie Frey, Robert Cannell, Mike Emmons, and many others invested in me during those early years. That's what I hope West does for your student, too--I hope that years from now, they look back on their time at West and can name the people who invested in their academic and social growth. 

 

In my role as principal at West, my highest priority is serving your family as well as I'd want my own served. My goal is that through a strong partnership between our school and our families, each of our West Wildcats would gain the knowledge, skills, and dispositions they'll need to pursue a big future. As we work together to make that happen, I hope you'll always feel free to reach out. Please be in good communication with me as well as the staff members who serve your student each day. 

 

It's an honor and a privilege to serve this school and community!