BREMERTON — Monica Sweet will join the staff of Bremerton High School in the 2016-17 school year as the new principal, replacing John Polm, who is leaving to assume the role of superintendent of the Port Townsend School District.

Sweet has been an educator for 23 years, mostly in the North Thurston Public Schools district. After teaching language arts for about 10 years, Sweet held jobs as assistant principal and principal in various schools in North Thurston.

She said that the only job she applied for this year was for the opening at Bremerton High School.

“The only high school I wanted was Bremerton High School,” Sweet said, “so I’ve been waiting and watching to see if it would open up. I feel very excited and blessed to be their new principal.”

Sweet’s father was in the Navy for 30 years and was stationed at Bangor, she said, making her a “Kitsap County kid.” She grew up in Kitsap County and graduated from Central Kitsap High School.

“It’s still home to me,” she said. “My parents are still there, my family, all my friends.”

As a principal, Sweet said student achievement and growth is “always going to be the focus of my instructional leadership,” and she wants to spend time getting to know her staff and students so she can learn “what the students need, what the teachers need to support students and how I can remove barriers for teachers so they can in turn help every student be successful.”

Sweet also said she feels school “should be a place of joy” for students, a place they look forward to attending.

“I am very mindful of making sure they get a full experience,” Sweet said. “Athletics, activities, all of those co-curricular things have to be in place so kids have a place to belong.”

She said that as an administrator, she likes to attend as many school events as possible, from athletic games to music concerts, school plays to math competitions, and so on.

“I’m a pretty hands-on principal when it comes to working with parents and teachers and students,” she said. “It’s the best part of my job. Getting the community involved, that’s at the forefront of what I do.”

Sweet will officially start working in the Bremerton School District Aug. 1, and plans to communicate with the parents and families of the district in an effort to visit her and get to know her informally, before a more formal meet-and-greet function she hopes to have later in August.

“I am most looking forward to the fact that I get to establish roots in a community I have loved for so long, and been away from, particularly Bremerton,” Sweet said. “Bremerton is seen as a highly progressive, innovative school district. Bremerton High School has an outstanding reputation outside of their own district in doing whatever it takes to help every student reach their potential.

“I’m excited to be a part of that kind of culture and belief system.”