Jean Schutt McTavish is a unique school leader for her activism in ensuring our children have healthy bodies and minds. McTavish has served for more than a decade at an alternative transfer high school principal that serves students aged 17 to 21-years-old who've had trouble finishing high school for various reasons. She is nationally recognized by Alliance for A Healthier Generation for leading one of the healthiest schools in America. McTavish leads by example teaching a spin class at 7:00 AM for students and staff three days a week. She also gave up a considerable amount of office space to build a student kitchen where students can cook food that they have grown in the school’s garden.

In addition to supporting the health and fitness of students’ bodies, she also works hard to support their minds.
McTavish works to instill students with self confidence and the belief that they can do anything they set their minds to. In addition to academics, teachers in her school help students build positive, trusting relationships with adults through a class called family group where kids develop strong trusting relationship with an adult in the building and from that students expand those positive relationships with peers and other teachers. Part of her work to instil confidence in students and ensure their success involves speaking out about the deleterious effects of high stakes testing on students who are most at risk in America. McTavish believes educational leaders must stand up for our children and will fearlessly call out any leader willing to sell out the education of children to advance their career. McTavish believes that tests rob students of the quality instructional time, adequate resources, and an effective measurement of skills that they deserve. She speaks, writes, and acts to effect change in this area and opts her own children out of high stakes testing.
You can find her activism at
Our Village, Our Schools https://www.facebook.com/OurVillageOurSchools?ref=hl