On April 2 at 3:30pm, Big Sky’s Jennifer Courtney sent out an email to students, parents, and staff stating that she will be stepping down from her position as head principal.
“Many of you may not know this, but my roots are in Michigan, and we are packing up and heading back to Michigan to be with family,” Courtney wrote in the email.
Courtney, who has been with Big Sky for the last 13 years, shared in the email that she will be resigning once the school year ends.She took a position at Michigan’s Otsego High School as the head principal, and shared that the new school she is going to has the same school colors as Big Sky with a bolder blue and true gold color.
When asked about stepping down, Courtney said that it was certainly a hard decision at first, as she has been with Big Sky for about 13 years. But since Courtney has a son that is graduating from high school and then a daughter who is soon to be starting high school, Courtney figured it couldn’t have been a better time to make this decision.
Courtney also shared various things about Michigan, including that she didn’t leave Michigan until she had graduated from college and has been in Montana for well over a decade.
“I am looking forward to making up for lost time and not squeezing everything into a week’s trip but actually having meals together along with spending quality time with family and friends we have there,” Courtney said in an interview.
Many staff members at Big Sky have worked alongside Courtney for most of her tenure and expressed feeling bittersweet about her departure.
Assistant Principal Sabrina Beed has worked closely with Courtney for around 12 years and feels she’s had a positive impact on students and staff that will be missed at Big Sky but carried on to Courtney’s new job in Michigan.
“I know she wants to be with her family who’s in Michigan, but I will greatly miss her,” Beed said. “I’m happy for her on one hand but also sad for me and the rest of us as well.”
Shanna Nickerson, head of Big Sky’s FRC, expressed similar thoughts.
“If I’m being open and vulnerable, I started to cry and it makes me really sad,” Nickerson said when asked about her response to Courtney’s departure. “She has had a huge impact (on my life).”
Nickerson explained that when she first came to Big Sky, Courtney was the assistant principal but she was always so helpful as a leader and mentor that when Nickerson moved back to Missoula, she wanted to be a part of Courtney’s team again.
Like Nickerson and Beed, Big Sky’s main office secretary Debi Turner has also worked closely with Courtney over the years and sees her as a mentor.
“On the back of my key chain, I have written, “What Would Jennifer Do?” Turner said.
Turner went on to say she was heartbroken upon hearing the news about Courtney’s departure, as she has felt like she was treated like an actual partner/friend and not just an employee.
“She’s gonna be missed, she’s irreplaceable and I’m completely and utterly heartbroken, especially having to rebuild a relationship with a new person is a lot of work,” Turner said. ”But I love my job and I’m not gonna go anywhere.”
Big Sky students also shared their thoughts about Courtney’s departure. Senior Tessa Caltibiano and sophomore Andyn Bell said they didn’t know about Courtney’s departure prior to being asked about it, but Caltibiano said, “I didn’t even know she was leaving Big Sky, I’m going to cry.”
Meanwhile, Bell said, “It caught me by surprise, as I hadn’t known about her leaving until this very moment. I’ll miss her great attitude towards every student and how much she treats everyone with respect along with how happy she is to see the students everyday.”
Senior Michael Hendrix and junior Jasmine Lowe equally shared words of gratitude to Courtney about her decision.
“Honestly, I wasn’t too surprised at first since her son is about to graduate and I’m about to graduate, so it didn’t really affect me as much as others,” Hendrix said. “But it was also surprising, especially with her status as our school’s principal. She is very present in the hallways and she’s always greeting students, especially seeing someone of that authority so friendly and caring as our school’s principal.”
Lowe shared that she had already known about Courtney’s departure, as her family has ties with Courtney’s family.
“I’m never really in the principal’s office that much, but it’s gonna be weird not seeing one of our administrators who I have seen so much since my freshman year,” Lowe said. “I’m going to miss her as a person and just seeing her in the halls.”
But while next year will be different, with Dr. Scott Gragg named as Big Sky’s next head principal, Courtney said nothing will change for the remainder of this year. She’s fully committed to finishing off this year with the same goals and expectations she has for Big Sky, she said.
When asked what she will miss about Big Sky, Courtney mentioned her relationships with Big Sky families and staff, and just “the ease of this being home.” Her husband works with the ag center’s meat lab, and her son, Dilan, is graduating from Big Sky this June.
She also talked about what she hopes for the next principal and the future of Big Sky regarding cultures/traditions.
“I really hope that whoever comes in spends time learning about who we are as Big Sky Eagles and what you (and staff) value, especially over time getting Big Sky to where it is now is really important,” Courtney said.
When asked if there was anything else she would like to share relating to her departure after this year, Courtney said, “I wouldn’t trade my time at Big Sky High school for anything in the world, it’ll be really hard to not compare what I’ve had here and to what I’ll encounter there.”
“The good and bad experiences have taught me how to be the leader I am today, and I am very appreciative of all of you,” Courtney said.
