GREAT BEND - You could say education and administration run in the family for one area principal. With both her older and younger sisters working in education at one point, the path to school leadership has become something of a family tradition for Abigail Jonas.

“I followed in the footsteps of my older sister, who was also a teacher and administrator,” she said. “She’s nine years older and invested in myself and my little sister. At one point, all three of us were in education.”

Raised in Great Bend, Jonas graduated from Fort Hays State University with both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. The mother of a seven-year-old boy, Cal, and a two-year-old daughter, Kensey, Jonas volunteers her time with Great Bend Recreation Commission coaching youth sports.

“I do as much of that as possible and have coached everything from basketball to indoor/outdoor soccer, baseball – any type of sports, we’re going to get involved,” she said. Kids have always been my passion.”

Jonas always wanted to be a kindergarten teacher and spent six years in that role at Jefferson Elementary. She then served as a technology coach for one year before transitioning to administration. This is her fourth year as principal at Eisenhower Elementary School.

“I want people to feel welcome walking in the building. We work really hard to build a culture for everyone to come in and feel like part of our family, already,” she said. “Whether that’s a new family or a new teacher, we want them to feel immediately a part of something.”

Jonas said she is proud of the culture they have built at Eisenhower.

“We’re working very hard growing the school as a whole and keeping it moving in the right direction,” she said. “That’s been my biggest win.”

Another program Jonas mentions is the “Tree Top Shop,” began by Katie Rowe. The program awards “Eagle Bucks” for anything positive a student does. Then, once a month, a cart is rolled around with a menu of prices.

“We’re teaching kids how to withdraw and deposit and they have their own little checkbooks,” she said. “Students have to keep a ledger of how much money they have.”

“I Did It Cards” are used to celebrate student academic growth.

“They get a card they can bring to the office where we celebrate them and give them a treat,” Jonas said.

To acknowledge the hard work and challenges teachers face, Jonas said she relies a lot on written affirmations.

“We also just try and listen; that’s a big one,” she said. “But if I had to name a love language in our building, it would be caffeine!”

While Jonas said she thinks it’s a different world for students today, she said kids are still kids.

“Kids are more involved; they’re busier and parents are also busier,” she said. “But kids still look up to adults as role models; they want to feel their achievement means something.”

For students struggling socially or emotionally, Jonas credits the work of Alex Westhoff, Student and Family Advocate at Eisenhower.

“We have an amazing counselor who works with all kiddos in groups and one on one,” she said. “She does a lot of connecting families with outside resources.”

For students who may be struggling academically, Eisenhower has a Student Improvement Team (SIT), made up of teachers, special education teachers and the counselor.

“Our teachers really pay attention to kids. They notice, they observe and they document,” Jonas said. “They can bring it to the team and work as a group to see what best fits and supports their needs. We continually meet about those kiddos and track progress.”

Jonas said, in her opinion, the parents’ role is the biggest factor in determining student success.

“The extra support that happens at home, whether it’s spending some time reading or doing a few math problems, the parents’ impact at home can help close some of the gaps and build skills,” she said.

Jonas said the most rewarding part of her job is watching teachers succeed.

“And then watching those teachers have students in their class excelling. You see the tears from those teachers because they’re celebrating that success,” she said. “My job is to make all the outside go way so they can focus on that success.”

Eisenhower is home to approximately 315 students

“I honestly hope my former students remember how the entire school surrounded them with love and supported them every single day,” Jonas said. “I hope they feel how much they were loved. I hope we can leave a little mark and make them feel like they had a family here.”