John Wright
Dear West Side Families,
My name is John Wright and I am excited to be the principal of West Side Elementary School! I live here in the West Side community with my wife Tammy and two children, Harrison and Sydney. Both my children attended West Side and graduated from Elizabethton High School. While at West Side they received an extremely strong foundation on which to build the rest of their educational experiences. I believe every child has the right to the same educational experiences as my children received. My goal as principal is to build a foundation for each student to be a success in an ever-changing world!
Professionally, I served as the principal of Elizabethton High School for two years, and before that, I was an assistant principal at T.A. Dugger. During my years as a teacher, I taught science, social studies, but mostly 6, 7, and 8-grade maths. While I was a teacher, I was the athletic director, and I coached football, basketball, track, and cross country. Academically, I sponsored the math teams and Enrichment Club, as well as tutoring math and sponsoring the FCA. As an administrator, I have not only tried to stay current with best practices, but with our ever-changing world.
West Side has a long tradition of academic excellence. I feel lucky to be the principal of West Side, and want to continue that tradition. I look forward to building relationships with our staff, parents, and most importantly the students of West Side.
Assistant Principal
Dr. Tammy Markland
I am honored to be the Assistant to the Principal at West Side Elementary and the Instructional Coach for Professional Development for the Elizabethton City School system again this year. My family and I have been Wildcats for 25 years as both of my children spent all six years of their elementary education journey at West Side. This is my 13th year as part of the faculty at WSE. While at West Side, I have served as the Assistant Math Coach, and taught 1st grade and 4th grade ELA.
I hold a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management from Tusculum University. I received both my M.Ed. and Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Milligan College.
I have been married for 34 years to my high school sweetheart, Ken. We are the proud parents of two handsome young men, two beautiful daughter-in-laws, and two precious grandchildren. In my spare time, I love to spend time with my family, participate in regional living history events, travel, read, cook, and paint.