At the board workshop on April 8, Coppell High School associate principal Zane Porter was announced principal of New Tech High @ Coppell. He will replace Joseph Smith, who resigned following the 2023-24 school year.
Porter’s CHS peers credit him as being perfect for his new position because of his strong leadership skills and his well-rounded nature.
“He balances high expectations but also fun and joy and love of coming to work,” assistant principal Jeremy Jordan said. “It’s a tough thing to do as a leader, but he balances all of those things so well. I don’t think you can find anybody better suited for that position.”
However, administration was not always in the cards for Porter. His journey didn’t begin in a classroom, but rather a UPS facility. Going into college, he felt dentistry was his calling, yet after graduating college, Porter took the opportunity to mentor new hires at UPS and teach his faith to attendees of his local church. Here he found his true passion.
“When I was 6-7 years into teaching, I told my administrator, I don’t ever want to be an administrator.” Porter said. “I said I want to be a teacher forever because I love teaching.”
Yet his teaching journey guided him towards administration because of his talent for being able to lead and connect with his community. After Porter’s fifth year of teaching at New Tech, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Midway through the year, assistant principal Chase Vaughn resigned, so Porter came to CHS to temporarily help for the rest of the year. He became a permanent member of the principal team in the following school year and was critical in helping CHS stay banded together.
“I was a part of a team that kept a rock of a community together,” Porter said. “We look back at it today and say we navigated that storm. I think we’re better for it even though we have to pick up some pieces.”
His exemplary performance throughout difficult times and his empathy for people earned the respect of many CISD staff.
“He’s really good at working with people of all different backgrounds and getting people to understand the why behind what we’re doing,” assistant principal Sorelle Kimball said. “He is really invested in education, learning is really big for him and helping kids to learn is really important to him and he wants to do what’s best for kids.”
In his new role, Porter hopes to diversify the CTE and fine arts programs at New Tech with new course selections. These courses would aim to cover different career curriculums that are less of a focus at CHS.
“New Tech has to constantly evolve because it’s a school of choice,” Porter said. “So now, it’s just a chance to reinvent a little. We want to give those upcoming eighth graders something a little bit different because we want them to have choice and to know that if they go to New Tech, they will have some things that they might not see anywhere else”
Porter has been an associate principal at CHS for two years, but his background in education is deeply rooted. Porter started his journey teaching seventh grade language arts in North Carolina. After two years, he moved to the high school level to teach advanced English classes. It was here he first found a personal connection to Project-Based Learning education.
“That’s how I learn. I put in the effort when I see there’s a purpose and a reason behind the learning and that’s what Project-Based Learning does,” Porter said. “Maybe you don’t really like math or you don’t really like science or you don’t like social studies. But within there, hopefully we can create some buzz and meaning that you can attach to.”
Seeking out a similar learning environment, he began teaching at New Tech in 2015. His appreciation for a hands-on learning environment grew as he saw his fellow peers model the successes and innovation of an alternative education process. Now, his mentality for effective education strongly aligns with the career preparation goals of New Tech.
“Learning deeper is going to carry over to the next thing you need to learn,” Porter said. “We don’t know the cool jobs that are gonna be available in 20 years. So if we only taught for jobs that we have now, we’re living behind. We need to teach the skills for learners to be able to learn those new things along the way, not just fill a brain with knowledge because they were behind the eight ball.”
