Dr. Nicole Carter, the new principal at Big Walnut, is already making her mark at BWHS, and her focus is on one important aspect: you.

Receiving her doctorate degree from The Ohio State University, Dr. Carter was an English teacher for 27 years prior to becoming principal. Leaving her job as principal at Reynoldsburg Summit Campus, she was hired in July after former principal Andy Jados resigned in order to take a job in the Cincinnati area.

You may have seen Dr. Carter’s smiling face as you enter the building each morning. Dr. Carter has already made herself at home and is well-known to students. This is not by accident. This principal is focused on fostering relationships and getting out and around the building to build rapport with students and staff.

“The best place for me to be visible,” Dr. Carter shared.

“I think that visibility is important for relationships and developing that trust, not just with students, but with staff as well. I try to greet students at the door in the morning. I try to be visible in the hallways and the classrooms.”

Carter has already spent considerable time out of her office and investing facetime with students in the cafeteria, talking to them about their day, the cars they drive, the clothes they wear, and the classes they are taking. She has established herself as an approachable principal who wants to know the students she is making decisions for.

Carter has a desire for education and learning. She wishes to expand educational opportunities for students at Big Walnut, “providing opportunities for our students in many ways, not just in the classroom,” Dr. Carter said. These potential opportunities include internships or work-study programs.

A love for education appears to run in her blood. She comes from a long line of administrators and educators, including her uncle, the principal of her high school.

While she may be a high school principal now, Dr. Carter still likes to look back fondly at her time in high school, when she was very active in her school’s athletic programs and organizations.

Dr. Cater shared, “I was a cheerleader. I was in the marching band for a year, I played volleyball for two years, and I was on the Student Council for two years.”

Despite all these different hats she wore, she describes herself as a die-hard cheerleader.

“Some people say cheerleading is not a sport. I’m a firm believer it is. I also cheered in college, so cheerleading is what my thing was more than volleyball or band.”

Currently, Dr. Carter lives in Westerville with her family and likes to stay active. She frequents the Westerville Athletic Center and has recently started to play Pickleball there.

“Something I just tried, and I think it’s for all ages, is Pickleball. They have a really nice facility there. They have an intramural place there where you can get involved in volleyball, intramural basketball, and pickleball, which is like the new thing at the facility. They have several courts there.”

Dr. Carter said, “I’ve only done it twice, but that’s something I recommend for all ages.”