Changing zones

Former LHS teacher and administrator starts as an Assistant Principal

Assistant+principal+Rachel+Flanders+poses+by+the+school%E2%80%99s+front+office+entrance.+

Photo by Sarosh Ismail

Assistant principal Rachel Flanders poses by the school’s front office entrance.

After remaining comfortable with one area for her whole career, this year she is making a change.

Lewisville High School administrator Rachel Flanders started working as an assistant principal at Hebron after winter break. Flanders is an LHS alumna; she participated in drumline and played softball all four years. Since then, she has been working in education for 17 years and teaching for 13.

“I grew up in the district, so I know all that Lewisville has to offer,” Flanders said. “I was a social studies teacher: I’ve taught everything from fourth-grade social studies classes all the way up to AP human [geography] in high school. I taught all in LISD, so [I’ve] stayed local.”

Flanders has spent most of her career at LHS, relatively far away from the district zone Hebron is in. She said she is excited to come to Hebron since she has not been able to interact with students in this area.

“My teaching and administrative experience has been all over the west zone, as well as [the] central zone,” Flanders said. “I was really excited to come to the east side because I don’t have a lot of working experience with them, [and] since I kind of live over here.”

Coming from LHS’ Harmon campus, Flanders has previously worked with freshmen and sophomores and said she is excited to be at Hebron’s main campus, so she will get to experience working with seniors.

“I had never actually been at a three-year high school,” Flanders said. “I’ve been trying to get into a senior high school to learn more about how graduation works, to learn more about what the expectation is for seniors in terms of credits and gaining that kind of knowledge. The minute that I saw this opening, I wanted to do everything I could to get over here.”

Flanders never thought she would end up working in administration. She always wanted to be a teacher, and figured she would continue her career as one. 

“I love teaching,” Flanders said. “I love having that connection with the kids and I was afraid that if [I] became an administrator, [I] might not have that time with the students. Luckily, somebody kind of put a bug in my ear and I found out that I got to work with students maybe even a little more so than as a teacher, and so it just worked out.”