The Franklin administrative team is made up of Principal Dr. Jennifer Wiley, and Assistant Principals, Andrew O'Connell, Annie Patu, and Jeff Lam.
To contact members of the administrative team, call 206-252-6150, Ext. 5.
Dr. Jennifer Wiley - Principal
(Biography Excerpt from UW Alumni profile article by Elizabeth Lowery)
Education
- Master's and Doctoral degrees in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of Washington
- Bachelor’s degree in Music Education, the Conservatory of Music, University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif.
Career Path
- Music and math teacher, Hayward, Calif.
- Assistant principal, Shorewood High School, Shoreline, Wash.
- Principal, Summit K-12, Seattle
- Principal, Franklin High School, Seattle
Research
Her doctoral research examined the unique challenges and opportunities for school leaders and children in township schools in post-apartheid South Africa.
Background
Born in Spokane, Wash., Jennifer attended Catholic schools on a scholarship and was the first in her family to go to college. In high school, she swam and ran track and played softball, basketball and soccer. She began music lessons at age five, and studied music and applied math/physics in college. For the last eight years, she has been principal at Franklin High School in Seattle’s South End.
Turning Point
Jennifer had been teaching in California for five years when she weighed whether to continue in education or pursue a career in civil rights law as a result of experiencing first-hand the disparate education opportunities that students in urban centers often experience. She was studying for the LSAT when she interviewed for the UW College of Education’s Danforth Educational Leadership Program, an intensive one-year program that trains principals and administrators. After much consideration, she realized she could make the most direct impact on educational inequities by working directly with young people.
On why she chose the UW for graduate study
“The UW school of education has a clear social justice agenda. Other public institutions I looked at did not have the courage to explicitly address the moral endeavor of public education. UW staff create a sense of urgency about the direct link between a healthy and representative democracy and public education like no other.” As the beneficiary of a private school education, she wanted to replicate the rigor and power of that educational model in a public school to ensure that every child in any school can secure the future of his or her dreams irrespective of race or class or other historical barriers.
Her story
Jennifer’s educational philosophy comes directly from her own life experience. Growing up in an unstable home in which her parents never even discussed college, Jennifer found refuge at school, where all students were expected to go on to higher education.
“If you don’t have the generational momentum, you really don’t know what is going on in education,” Jennifer said. “I personally was the beneficiary of private schooling thanks to the graciousness and social justice agenda of the Jesuits. I really benefited in so many ways by powerful teachers and a powerful education.”
It’s that positive environment with high expectations that Jennifer – and the faculty and staff - strive to re-create at Franklin.
“A public school can be every bit as powerful and potent as a private school but without the second-class citizenry,” she said. “When students come across the threshold of a schoolhouse, all things are possible. Good education should never be left to chance for our young people. We ought to make it national priority to secure the very best experiences for every child in the U.S.”
Jennifer readily admits that not all of Franklin’s students will go to college, and that it’s not necessarily the right choice for everyone. But, she wants to make sure that every student who graduates has the choice.
Dr. Wiley can be contacted via email: jwiley@seattleschools.org.
Andrew O’Connell - Assistant Principal
Raised in South Seattle by a long time Seattle Schools’ teacher and a carpenter, Andrew learned the value of education and a strong work ethic at an early age. These values have contributed to his philosophy of leadership and have always provided guidance in his career in education. He is a 1997 graduate of Franklin High School and has always maintained the Quaker spirit. Returning to Franklin as an assistant principal is truly a homecoming for Andrew and he has never wavered in representing Quaker pride in all that he does. Part of this work for him is collaborating with the school community to ensure that each Franklin student receives high quality instruction all the time.
For the past three years he has served as an assistant principal at Whitman Middle School. Prior to working at Whitman, Andrew has served as an Academic Intervention Specialist, a Physical Science, Biology, AVID, and Physics teacher both in Seattle Public School and in Cleveland, Ohio. Andrew received his Bachelor's degree from Washington State University, his Master's in Education and teaching certification from Antioch University Seattle and his administrative credential from Western Washington University.
Mr. O’Connell can be contacted via email: amoconnell@seattleschools.org.
Annie Patu - Assistant Principal
Ms. Patu can be contacted via email: alpatu@seattleschools.org.