Introducing Watauga's New Administrators

The hallways of Watauga High School’s common area and cafeteria. While students started school on August 17, administrators and teachers were in the building preparing for a week in advance. “I always just love being with the kids, interacting with the kids, being the guy that gives the high fives and the fist bumps in the hallway and administration, said Dante Binotto, a new assistant principal at Watauga. “While, yes, a lot of times I'm stuck in my office, I do try my best to get out into the hallways and see the kids because that's why we all do it.” 

Aspen Hickman, Junior Editor and News Desk Lead

A new year brings new teachers, new classes, and new routines. And, for Watauga High School’s administrative team, 3 new members. For Dante Binotto, Leslie Pope, and Jennifer Wilson, the 2026-27 school year will be their first full year at Watauga as assistant principals. 

Jennifer Wilson, originally hired as an AP English teacher, attended Appalachian State and grew to love the area.

“Boone and Watauga County have always felt like home to me. I've done a lot of internships in the school because I was completing my undergrad and when the opportunity arose to come back, I had to jump on that,” said Wilson. “So I'm very excited to be back in a place that feels like home in a community that is welcoming and I’m always looking to support education and support students.”

For Wilson, the path to education was clear. Hailing from a family of teachers from South Carolina, Wilson chose App State because of the college’s teaching program. But for Pope, the path wasn’t so obvious. 

“When I was about to graduate with my bachelor of social work degree, I was doing an internship at a high school as a social worker. And I had to sit in classrooms with students,” said Pope. “And I decided, you know what? I think I would rather be teaching. I think that would be a better fit for me, so two days after I got my bachelor's degree, I went to get my elementary education certification to teach.”

Pope worked as an elementary school teacher for 8 years, until she had triplets. She later got her Masters of Library Science from App State, and began working first as a media coordinator, and then an IT specialist. After a reduction in force, Pope decided to pursue administration.

“It had always been a dream of mine to go into administration,” Pope said. “So I went and got another master's degree in school administration.”

Pope's degree in social work has provided her with the necessary experiences needed to manage behavioral issues. And while Pope had a moment of inspiration, Binotto’s passion for education came about almost by accident.

“I was one of those kids that came out of college and had [no plan]. I had a girlfriend, who's now my wife and mother to my child. She was moving down to North Carolina to be a teacher and I said, well, I've got nothing else going on. Why don't I follow her?” said Binotto. “And I did a few little jobs here and there. And here I am. It was not a straight path into education or anything or what I really wanted to do. I mean, I just kind of fell into it and fell in love with it, and that's how it worked out.”

Along with the variety of paths these new admin took to education, the education they provided students also differed. Pope taught elementary school, meaning she taught all subjects, Binotto taught middle school science, and Wilson taught high school English and history. 

“I believe that history and English go hand in hand. A lot of the discovery in history is through reading and analyzing historical pieces. I've always been an avid reader and I've always loved to share my love of reading,” said Wilson. “I was in Battle of the Books in high school. I loved it. A lot of my background in history does lean itself very closely to English, and that's why I chose the history major, English minor, so that I could have both of those keys because they work hand in hand.”

Although these principals and administrators used to be teachers, the goals of an administrator are different from a classroom teacher. While teachers work with a single subject or two, teaching a consistent grade range and class size, administrators work with all students in a variety of ways. Due to this, the goal of a principal might be more variable than that of a teacher.

“I always want to come into places and leave them better than I found them,” said Wilson. “As an administrator, you really want to make sure that your staff and your students just feel supported. I always want to encourage teachers and staff members to try new things and really challenge themselves to do what's best for students in the classroom.”

Wilson, who previously worked as an athletic director, values maintaining a strong community among students and staff. Similarly, Pope feels that a strong student community is important to a school.

“I'm all about the students. What makes me happiest is being in classrooms with students, seeing what they're learning, seeing how it's being taught. I'm very student-centered,” said Pope. “And I like to see innovation and engagement in the classrooms. That comes from having been in technology and media, and I also like to make people feel appreciated and valued.”

Despite their varying experiences and skills, all of Watauga’s new principals have one thing in common. They are all dedicated to growing this school and improving the lives of students and staff alike. 

“We are, my humble opinion, the best school in the entire state. We still have room for growth, not only with student scores and all of that, but also within our own staff. The goal is to keep moving forward,”  said Binotto. “And I think I can do that by making sure that everyone wants to be in this building. That's why I love it because I want to be here and I know everybody does want to be here, but I want to instill that love even more and deeper and not only our school, but our community.”