The Tahoma School Board on Thursday (March 24) voted to approve Judy Beliveau as the new Tahoma High School (THS) principal, which will take effect following longtime principal Terry Duty’s retirement at the end of the current school year. Beliveau has been an associate principal at THS since 2018, with leadership emphases in English Language Arts (ELA) and Health & Fitness.
“I believe our students, staff and community need consistency so that we can continue growing,” Beliveau said. “It’s important to have someone who has been on this journey over the last two years and understands the impact it’s had. I can hit the ground running so we’re not wasting any of the precious time that students have here. I know what we’re great at, I know some areas that we can improve upon, and I want to work with parents, kids and staff to keep moving in the right direction.”
Beliveau attended school in the Puyallup School District, and her parents were both educators in the Tacoma School District. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Health and English Education from Central Washington University and earned a Master’s degree in School Administration from Western Washington University. Her career began as a middle school English teacher, coach and athletic director in the Snoqualmie Valley School District. She has also served as an assistant principal in the Sumner School District, a part-time educator for City University of Seattle, and she filled a variety of teaching and administrative positions for 13 combined years with the Kent School District.
Since joining THS, Beliveau’s areas of focus include ELA, Health & Fitness, Power Hour, and overseeing the school’s master schedule, which guides the approx. 200 staff and 2,700 students.
“Judy brought a wealth of experience and knowledge from her prior work in a number of regional school districts when she joined Tahoma,” said Superintendent Mike Hanson. “When you couple that with all she’s accomplished for the high school and our district over the past four years, it’s clear that she has the necessary skills and educational background to lead our high school on a path that’s both unique and directly aligned with our culture and vision.”
Following Duty’s retirement announcement on Feb. 3, the district invited staff, students, families and community members to complete a survey about the qualifications and traits that they felt were important for a hiring committee to consider in their search for THS’s next principal. Over 900 stakeholders completed that survey, which the 28-person hiring committee – comprised of staff, students and parents – utilized in their screening and interview process.
After interviewing multiple candidates, and a site visit, Beliveau was selected as the lone finalist who the hiring committee advanced to a community forum on March 14. During that forum, Beliveau answered questions that were submitted by stakeholders. The next day, the hiring committee reached consensus to move forward with recommending Beliveau to Superintendent Hanson. Following a final interview with Hanson, Beliveau was recommended to the School Board, who approved her as the new principal.
“Tahoma has always had a reputation for being a top district in our region,” Beliveau said. “That’s what brought me here, and I’ve stayed because the staff and students are amazing. There’s a school board, district office, and 200 high school staff who all put students at the center of their decision-making. The parents and larger community are appreciative and are great partners in supporting kids. Who doesn’t want to be part of that?”
