KATY MAGAZINE NEWS
August 11, 2019
By Anne Lee
Joe M. Adams Junior High, located in Cross Creek Ranch, will open its doors this month with a projected enrollment of 1250 sixth, seventh and eighth grade students and 102 staff members.
Katy ISD’s 16th junior high school is named for Joe M. Adams. He served 27 years on the Katy ISD school board.
“I am honored to have Joe Adams as our namesake,” says Principal Elisabeth Brodt. “It is my hope that everything we do honors his legacy. It is my goal that Mr. Adams will be an integral part in creating our traditions and establishing our culture at Adams Junior High."
Brodt shared how Adams Junior High’s mascot was picked, “Our Viking mascot was a community decision. Our school community voted and gave input on the mascot and logo. We had several great suggestions, but ultimately the Viking won the vote.”
Joe and Donna Adams
Steering the Students in the Right Direction
Brodt was named principal of Adams Junior High and boasts that the new school will offer a variety of programs that will not only focus on academics, athletics and the arts but more importantly on the social and emotional development of every student.
“Once a week, during advisory, our students will receive character education. These lessons are about 30 minutes in length and will encompass our Viking Virtues - Courage, Perseverance and Truth. Our Viking Virtues will be embedded daily into our interactions and teachings with our students. We want our Vikings to have the courage to move forward in the face of fear, the perseverance to press on against adversity and the integrity to honor the truth even when it may be hard. The junior high years are crucial in the development of character and compassion.”
Brodt Brings Experience to the Helm
Brodt earned her bachelor’s degree in instrumental music education from Oklahoma City University and continued her education at the University of Houston - Clear Lake where she received her master’s degree in education mid-management.
Her career in education began in 1999 at the Oklahoma City Public Schools as a strings specialist where she taught orchestra to students in elementary through high school.
In 2001, she had an opportunity to open Cinco Ranch Junior High, and has held various assistant principal roles at Beckendorff Junior High between 2005 - 2012.Brodt went on to Seven Lakes High School where she served in the freshmen, sophomore, junior and senior assistant principal roles until 2016 when she became associate principal at Seven Lakes High School.
All Hands on Deck
When asked about her preparation for the new school year, Brodt said, “The most important thing I have done to prepare for the opening of school is to hire the best teachers and staff for Adams Junior High. I looked for individuals who were experts in their field, who shared my vision of creating a culture of excellence and most importantly who love junior high students. Once my leadership team and campus staff was hired, we began the ongoing task of creating our school culture, establishing our campus operating procedures and planning for students to arrive.”
New Vikings met at the “Back to School Bash” on the Thursday. "The relationships our students make will carry them through junior high and high school," Brodt says. "Building a supportive community and culture is our first priority.”