Over the course of the last couple of years, there has most certainly been a lot of change both globally and locally. Even at the high school level, new changes continue to occur. At the end of the 2020-2021 school year, due to the retirement of the previous principal, Shadow Ridge was in the market for a new leader and the district has finally announced the position has been given to the excited and motivated Mrs. Traci Kannon. 

Donning the mantra of “all in” Kannon was thrilled at an opportunity to join the Mustang community and become an important part of life at the Ridge. Kannon, most certainly qualified to fill the shoes of a principal, attended the University of San Diego for two years and then transferred to San Diego State University to pursue the opportunity to be a teacher. She has a BA in Liberal Arts and a Master’s Degree in Administration. After graduating from college, Kannon proceeded to get her first teaching position at Hillview Junior High in Pittsburg, California. However, after her husband accepted a job in sports radio in Las Vegas, they moved, and have lived here ever since. She taught history at a few middle schools and at one point was even CCSD’s Social Studies Teacher of the Year.

Kannon, soon after, started her administrative career at Valley High School as the Dean of Students and Curriculum AP. Then, to learn as much as possible about CTA’s, she moved to VTCTA. She was quickly promoted to principal of Del Webb Middle School, and has now accepted the position of Principal of Shadow Ridge, which she considers “the best high school in CCSD.”

The new member of the Mustang family stated, “I loved serving the students, staff, and community at Del Webb, but when I saw that SRHS had an opening, I jumped at the chance to serve this community. I love the work associated with high schools and love the mission of a comprehensive high school. I also love how many things a comprehensive high school has to offer students. There really is a place for everyone, which is so important. I live in Centennial Hills and am excited to serve in the community where I live.”

Kannon believes in community and improving those around her. In fact, at one point in her career, she participated in a teacher exchange program where she taught in Bosnia-Herzegovina, a former communist country, and was able to experience being one of the first teachers from the west to teach there. Then, of course, she returned to her home community to take with her the skills she learned.

Kannon shared, “I am looking forward to meeting everyone, learning about what makes SRHS tick, and becoming part of your community. I am very excited to attend sporting games, performing arts events, and extracurricular activities.” She added, “Parents, students, and staff can expect that I will be ‘all in’ in all aspects of the job. I will ensure that we are offering high-quality and rigorous academic programming along with offering students a place to fit in. It will be important for everyone to have a positive attitude coming off of the year we all had so that we can hit the ground running and make the most of the time we have together.”