Paula Hammel juggles many roles in her life to positively affect her various communities. graphic by Emanuel Morales-Gomez
The Assistant Principal wears different hats to make an impact on her TJ community.
Throughout life, many individuals wear different hats for different roles in their lives At Thomas Jefferson High School, there is an important individual who wears five important hats to make an impact on her community: the learner hat, the supporter hat, the administrator hat, the adventurer hat, and the Spartan hat. This person is Assistant Principal Paula Hammel.
The first hat Hammel wears is “the learner” hat. This hat is one that she has worn since she first started learning her ABCs in kindergarten. More importantly, this hat was especially worn when she was learning how to apply the knowledge she gained in the real world. For example, she used the information she learned from the six months she spent in an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) school to become certified and also handle the responsibility of being a 911 dispatcher and a U.S. Postal Service driver later on in her life.
Hammel used this experience to get her master’s degree in Administration Leadership and Policy Studies from University of Colorado at Denver with a bachelor’s degree in Special Education from Metro State University and an administrative license from the Colorado Department of Education. This journey of learning did not stop when she walked the stage at graduation, but continued as she became a teacher and ultimately an administrator. Hammel explained she has learned how to be “more confident, settled, and flexible” because of how little control she has to make everything in the education system work the way she wants it to. Even though she is not able to make all of the changes she wants to see, she uses that as a way to learn how to “balance between finding your own voice and listening.” She has learned the importance of being an active listener and knowing when to be a leader versus when to be a follower. “The learner” hat has been part of Hammel’s life for a long time, and it is still something that she wears as she navigates this complex world.
Through the knowledge that she has gained throughout her life, Hammel started to wear “the supporter” hat. In her early 20s, she went to Bulgaria to help start a high school, called the American English Academy, that allowed non-Bulgarian kids to go to school. She enjoyed being able to “help them get to that place in their lives” and loved being able to make a difference in their lives. This love led her to become a teacher and a soccer coach at Belleview Christian School and she felt that “helping young people to find their voice and potential” was something she really enjoyed. She continued to support others in the educational field as a teacher and educational coordinator at a residential facility, after which she was then hired by Denver Public Schools (DPS) to write a program for students transitioning from a residential facility into a high school. Hammel helped kids get “used to being in school and having social emotional learning,” so that they were not just thrown into a school full of kids without any support. Sadly, the program closed and she went to work at Denver Online High School.
After discovering how much she loved helping students, she joined the TJ community as an Assistant Principal, where her support is very apparent. Hammel’s mission is to “be inclusive of who needs to be at the table” in order to make sure the vision she has aids students, teachers, and parents on their path towards success. Hammel wants to make sure everyone feels as though they have support they need to achieve greatness and she will go to great lengths to fight for their needs.
To make this mission into a reality, Hammel puts on “the administrator” hat and figures out different logistics throughout TJ. Through her past experiences, she was able to see that she is very systems-oriented, which means that she is able to recognize the bigger picture and understand the impact of other systems. This skill is very important to have as an Assistant Principal because it helps her see how she can “make an impact on our school culture and keep it.” She collaborates with staff members to create a structured, yet fun environment where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. Hammel is tasked with supervising the Careers and Communications Technology (CCT) department, Concurrent Enrollment, Advanced Placement (AP), Counseling, Scheduling, Science, Special Education, and honor roll. She works with the administrative team to create successful students and an exciting school environment. Moreover, she is able to create a family.
Although Hammel is a professional administrator, she does know how to have fun with “the adventurer” hat. She has always tried to find a new way to interact with the world as seen with her diverse past jobs and experiences. This adventurous spirit is something that she still holds dear with spending her free time hiking and being outdoors. She really enjoys being the skip for the Denver Curling Club because she is able to “orchestrate what is happening and forget everything else.”
All of these different aspects of her life come together to make the most important hat of them all – “the Spartan” hat. She is involved in the TJ community by going to pep rallies, sports, school activities, and fairs. She believes that being present is needed in order for people to excel and she makes sure others understand that she will always be there. Hammel has Spartan Pride because she is amazed by the school culture, diversity, and individuals TJ has to offer. She enjoys that she is able to be serious with others while also being excited with them about different things. Hammel explained, “I think that it helps our students to find themselves, their purpose, and their passions.” She loves being able to help everyone with their own needs and providing anything she can do to help them.
Hammel continues to wear a multitude of hats that have prepared her to make an impact on her community. She always makes sure there is a place for everyone and that everyone has everything they need in order to be successful. TJ, it is time to start using your hat(s) to make an impact on your community and find a place that feels right.
