Tara Ranzy feels it’s her calling to be involved in education.

She remembers sitting on her porch as a teenager and talking to the younger children who were gathered around her about life experiences. Ranzy was a teacher then and she continues sharing her knowledge with others to this day.

“Interacting with younger children or just students or children in general is an honor. You get to help shape character, and then at the same time, they’re shaping your character because you’re learning from them. They’re keeping your ideas fresh,” said Ranzy, who is the new associate principal for Island Park and West Mercer elementaries.

Megan Isakson will partner with Ranzy as she takes the reins as the new principal of West Mercer after previously serving as the associate principal for Island Park and Northwood elementaries.

Isakson was raring to go in the education field after receiving her undergraduate sociology degree. She thrives in the realm of connecting with people and forming relationships with colleagues and students along the way.

“I’m a life-long learner, and being in a space where everyone all the time is learning and growing and thinking critically, it’s inspiring,” she said. “It’s a two-way street — I’m just as inspired and learn just as much from my students as they have from me, and probably more so from them.”

Ranzy said her role as an education leader is immense in guiding students along their paths in the school hallways and classrooms into the world at large. She feels that education is a driver of society’s culture, systems and institutions.

In Ranzy’s previous position as associate principal at Juanita High School, she partnered with school district personnel to provide a safe space for students with varying worldviews to process and build skills that will help them navigate the local and national racial landscape, according to a Mercer Island School District (MISD) press release.

“If you look at everything that’s happening in the country — we’re changing, we’re growing, we’re starting to call out systems and structures that oppress BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) communities, and all of us are impacted no matter what your racial, ethnic, linguistic background is,” she said.

Isakson flows into her second year with MISD after working for Seattle Public Schools as a third- and fourth-grade teacher and academic interventionist, and serving as a youth program coordinator with several nonprofit organizations.

She feels it’s a privilege, honor and huge responsibility to be given the chance to connect with students on a large scale.

“I am working in service of our scholars here at West Mercer every day and I want to ensure that our community here, our families, our teachers know (that) I got your back, you’ve got mine. We’re in this together,” said Isakson, adding that they don’t take their jobs lightly as they work diligently to deliver a solid education to students every day.

Ranzy and Isakson are looking forward to interacting with teachers and students in-person and full time this fall. Isakson said the district has done a great job ensuring that the facilities are as safe and healthy as possible.

Connecting with everyone in a safe manner is crucial, said Ranzy, adding that she’s excited to see the students and absorb their energy.

“It’s a big deal, especially since we’ve all been impacted by COVID — the adults and the students. At this point after being isolated and quarantined for so long, you take in every moment that you get to interact with another human being, especially at work,” she said.

Speaking of the adults on campus, Ranzy said she feels welcomed into her new district and is set to collaborate with her colleagues and bring her creativity and innovation for solving complex problems to the table.

Isakson said that West Mercer’s vibrant and diverse educators are prepared to immerse themselves in the school’s vision of making it a place of joy where everyone is committed to grow, empower and value each other along their unlimited learning path.

Outside of the school building, Ranzy — a former principal/superintendent of a charter school in Georgia and founding principal of Building 21 School in Philadelphia — spends time with her puppy and enjoys travel and fine dining.

Isakson lives with her wife in Seattle, is an avid rock climber, parent to three dogs and stays active by bike commuting to work.