Sharon has served as the Lake Region Union High School Assistant Principal for 9 years. She has been chosen by the Lake Region UHS School Board to lead the High School upon the retirement of Andre Messier.
Sharon Gonyaw was born and raised in the Northeast Kingdom. Sharon and her husband, Jay, chose to remain in the area to raise their two sons. Family is very important to Sharon, who is now a proud grandmother to her first grandchild, Harper.
Sharon began her career 27 years ago as a school counselor. For the past 15 years she has been a school administrator, first as the principal at Charleston Elementary School, and for the last nine years as the assistant principal at Lake Region Union High School. Those nine years at LRUHS have given her invaluable experience and prepared her to lead Lake Region as its Principal.
Sharon has worked collaboratively with Andre Messier and is focused on continuing the hard work he did for the school while making her own contributions towards creating an atmosphere and educational setting where all members can achieve at their own edge of excellence. Sharon is a compassionate and caring but firm, dedicated leader who is committed to excellence in all aspects of her work. She prioritizes student learning and school community safety, and at the forefront of all her decisions is what is best for students.
Sharon’s counseling background, experience, and community connections have been a great resource to students and families in need. Sharon has strong connections with community partners and businesses as well as our local law enforcement partners. Most recently, Sharon has been in the process of completing her certification as a personal coach and plans to utilize coaching and mentoring strategies to help staff and students build skills and knowledge of themselves, so they can reach their fullest potential.
Sharon is a passionate and driven leader focused on creating a safe environment that provides students with a rigorous education and celebrates both adults’ and students’ successes. Students will be given opportunities to be their authentic selves and to make important decisions about their own learning experiences. Sharon believes that when students become very aware of their strengths, needs, wants, and future goals, they become resourceful learners who seek information and build skills they need to be successful in their future and achieve the dreams they set for themselves.
LRUHS is an incredibly special place, and Sharon looks forward to her new role as Principal.