Moore will be missed at Derby

Assistant principal Travis Moore will be Haven’s principal next year

When assistant principal Travis Moore is on the intercom, even the most tired students become alert when they hear his booming voice say: “It’s a great day to be a Panther!”

Known for his energy, Moore is able to liven the dullest activities with his presence.

“He always makes everything fun and he always brings a pep to the school,” sophomore Amanda Smith said.

Next year, Moore will take his energy with him to Haven High School, where he will be the principal.

“I will miss this school, it’s a great place to be…. It was a tough (decision) to make, but it was something that was right for my family and me,” Moore said.

A P.E. teacher for three years and a middle school teacher for five, Moore came to Derby in 2011 thinking he would only want a position as high as assistant principal.

His thinking changed as he started working with principal Tim Hamblin and others involved in the district.

“Being exposed to great professionals like Mr. Hamblin and (assistant principal Shane) Seeley and (superintendent Heather) Bohaty kind of made me, well — definitely made me strive for more, and I felt myself starting to like the idea of having my own building,” Moore said. “I’ve always kind of wanted that challenge for myself some day, and the opportunity came up, and so I decided to take the challenge on my own.”

Moore has taken on other challenges throughout his life and hopes that by sharing them, other students will be encouraged to work toward their goals.

“I started out as a kid who had a learning disability and an IEP, and I actually had a high school counselor tell me that I shouldn’t do anything that’s academic past high school,” Moore said. “But I wanted to be a teacher, and 20 years later, I’m sitting in a 6A high school as an assistant principal working on my doctorate.… So taking that advice and settling for it was not enough — I pushed on for what I wanted, I was assertive and motivated; that got me where I am.”

Moore also desires to reach students by showing them the importance of standing out, something he knows is beneficial from his hiring experience at Derby.

Among hundreds of applicants, Moore handed Hamblin his resume in person and told him he was interested. That step helped him earn the position.

“Taking that initiative paid off and defined myself outside that realm of applicants and it paid off,” Moore said. “Make yourself a leader somehow, make yourself stand out in a good way and good things happen for you.”

Throughout his time at Derby, Moore helped students by spreading Panther Pride and connecting with them.

“(He impacts others by) just going around, helping students by saying funny things, doing funny things,” Smith said. “He participated in the senior prank by going down the (slip-n-) slide. That’s just funny, like you don’t get that during finals week and everyone’s dying.”

Freshman Ashton Duft added: “He was always so happy and cheery. He’s like the Santa Claus of this school.”

Now, as he prepares to leave, Moore hopes that the students will continue to share in that pride — a trait he believes is important part of high school and life.

“I think our kids have taught me that pride is an important part of the high school, pride is something that kids should engage in, that they want to be successful, you’re going to have pride in your own work down the road,” Moore said. “I guess my challenge would be to have the students at Derby High school gain a heavier responsibility in getting those other students that aren’t involved in the pride of Derby into it.”

Having benefited from the students, Moore also learned from Hamblin another important skill — patience.

“I’m a ‘let’s get it done now’ person, and sometimes in education, that’s not always — that sometimes cannot be the best approach, and I think Mr. Hamblin has taught me that patience can … get a little more information when you make that choice, that decision, and make sure everyone involved knows that decision and why it was made,” Moore said.

Moore plans to implement what he has learned at Derby over at Haven, and he also has goals to better himself. He is working on his doctorate in school leadership and his superintendent license.

However, as Moore looks ahead to the future, he will still keep his Panther Pride.

“I will never forget my time as a Panther, that’s for sure, and never regret my time as Panther, and I think the good days and the rough days have helped make me who I am, and I appreciate the rough days as well as the good days,” Moore said. “I think our students need to remember that, and our staff — we’re not just in the staff for the good days, we’re in here to work through the rough days. And I think, in my opinion, is what truly defines us.”