Principal Spotlight: Lynette Riggs, creating a school culture of continuity and kindness
Principal Riggs and students
In our ever-changing world, few things are constant. Our classrooms have come a long way from using typewriters and record players, and new technology comes out every year. Many educators at Cache County School District have had the privilege of seeing the valley’s progress through the years. With all of these changes, the high level of dedication and quality of our school district remains the same. Many within CCSD have influenced the community and continue to use their individual stories and knowledge to enrich the education of students within the district, and Lynette Riggs is no exception.
Lynette Riggs’ story doesn’t start in Utah. Being an orphan, she grew up going to many different schools throughout the country. Though her home life was not stable, she found education to be a constant in her life. She explained, “School was always a safe place. Even though I was in different places, school was still school. School offered continuity. It was a place where things were organized, protected, and safe.”
Principal Riggs and student
Riggs remembers the kindness she received from teachers when she was a student and it motivates her vocation now. “I had teachers who would comb my hair and buy me lunch. I don’t remember their faces or their names, but I do remember their deeds. I do remember how I was treated and how I felt. That’s the reason I do this: I hope to pay it forward. Hopefully, at my school, I can help other children feel that way.”
Riggs graduated from Sky View High School after moving to Wellsville in her teenage years. She attended Utah State University and received a Bachelor’s degree in English Education with a minor in Music Education. Later, she went on to complete a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction. Riggs worked at Sky View and Mountain Crest High Schools, then Logan High School, where she taught Language Arts courses. She became an administrator at Mount Logan Middle School in the Logan City School District and Sky View High School in Cache. She then moved from secondary settings to elementary to become the principal at Lincoln Elementary School. She is currently serving as the principal at Mountainside Elementary School.
Principal Riggs and Mountainside Elementary staff members
“In this valley, you see generations,” Riggs said. “You get to know the grandparents, and then the parents, and then their kids. No matter where I go, I see people I know from school. And I see my past students who are becoming teachers. That is rewarding.” Riggs has helped and inspired students across the generations, and her dedication to education is apparent. “It’s like a service job; it consumes you. You dream about it; your students are always on your mind; your responsibilities are always on your mind. Your family becomes employed by the school system because you are. But it’s a good thing. It’s a good life and a good cause. You know you are doing something worthwhile.”