Photo by Erin Nelson.
Jana Flinkow, the new assistant principal at Homewood High School, stands at the front entrance of the high school.
Jana Flinkow has spent the last 15 years in the Homewood school system in a variety of roles, but she started a new role this school year as assistant principal at Homewood High School, and she believes all her previous work has prepared her for it.
Flinkow is no stranger to the high school. She has been a teacher and instructional coach there since 2017. Before that, she was at Homewood Middle School for nine years.
“My family moved to Homewood several years ago because we love the community so much and because we love the people here so much,” she said, adding that she has two young children in the school system.
Having the role of instructional coach in recent years opened Flinkow up to the idea of moving to the administrative side of things, she said.
“I always wanted to be in the classroom, but I have enjoyed my time as an instructional coach, and I felt like it allowed me to reach more people than just my own students in the classroom,” she said. “In that role, I worked as a mentor to young teachers who had been at the school for three years or less. Working with them and their students was such a great experience for me. Moving into the vice principal role will allow me to be active with even more people, reaching all of our students in some way.”
Flinkow said she sees her assistant principal role as supporting everyone in the building, from teachers and students to other administrators and support staff. “There’s not just one specific role or specific duty,” she said.
Even though she only started as assistant principal in early August, Flinkow said the positive response to her earning the position has been overwhelming, confirming to her that the new position was the correct move to make.
“My experience so far has been better than I ever could have imagined,” she said. “I have felt more support from not only my administration team, but the administration teams at the other schools have reached out to me and offered their support. The teachers have been, I mean, honestly, just more welcoming than I could have thought was possible. Our faculty and staff support has meant so much to me.
“I’ve also had countless parents reach out to me over the past few weeks and say, ‘We’re so sad that our student won’t have you as a teacher, but we’re so excited that they’ll get to have your leadership in another avenue,” she added. “That’s what’s made it worth it, and that’s what’s made me realize that this is the right place for me.”
Homewood High Principal Joel Henneke agreed that having Flinkow as an assistant principal is a great way for her to continue to impact the entire school.
“Mrs. Flinkow has had a tremendous impact on our students and new teachers by serving as a teacher, mentor and instructional leader,” he said. “She has earned the respect of teachers and students alike, and we are excited to use her expertise in this new role at Homewood High School.”
Flinkow added that she will support the entire school system and the Homewood community at large.
“One of the great things about Homewood is I can’t go to dinner without seeing somebody I know, or a parent or a student. I love that. I love that I get to see the students and the faculty and the parents outside of the school building,” she said. “I get to show up to football and basketball games to show my support or even a math team event. Showing my support to the community outside of school is really important.”
