Principal Karl Krawitz was born in 1950 in Compton, CA. At age seven Dr. Krawitz’s family moved to North Plainsfield, NJ in order to aid his grandfather after the death of his grandmother. Krawitz’s grandparents were first generation German immigrants who had fled the Nazi regime during World War II. As a first generation immigrant, Krawitz’s grandfather spoke very little English. While his son, Krawitz’s father, spoke both fluent English and German. Krawitz went on to attend North Plainsfield High School in 1964. Though Krawitz considered himself a below average student, he was very actively involved in sports. Krawitz played football and ran track for all four years, wrestled his freshman and sophomore years and played basketball for his junior and senior years. Krawitz was also a self proclaimed “beach-bum” spending many of his summers in high school surfing.

After graduation in 1968 Krawitz moved to Kansas to attend Baker University. During the Summer of 1969 Krawitz attended Woodstock, and keeps a picture of the crowded concert in his office. At Baker, Krawitz received a bachelors degree in science with a focus on biology and chemistry. After his graduation in 1972 Krawitz applied, and was turned down for medical school. Krawitz then returned to Baker as a post-graduate to receive his teaching licence.

Krawitz did his student teaching, and went on to teach at Olathe high school in the fall of 1972. Krawitz taught in Olathe for 28 years, initially Krawitz taught Biology, Ecology and Anatomy. He then went on to teach strictly Chemistry 1, while in this position Krawitz wrote and developed the Chemistry 2 program for the district which, at the time was known as “College Chemistry.” He then changed subjects yet again after writing the Microbiology and Organic Chemistry courses for the district. During Krawitz’s 28 years at Olathe, he also coached wrestling, football and track and field. During this time Krawitz also received his Masters in Administration in 1981, and eventually his Doctorate in 1987.

In 2000 Krawitz was chosen for a job as principal at Shawnee Mission West, his first time in the Shawnee Mission School District. Krawitz kept this job for five years until 2005 when he retired. During this retirement Krawitz returned to Baker for the second time to become a professor in the graduate school. In this position, Krawitz helped to teach teachers who already had attained a degree in teaching but were seeking a higher degree. Krawitz did this for three years until 2008 when he returned to high school administration.

In 2008 Dr. Krawitz began his job as the administrator at Shawnee Mission East High School. While at East, Krawitz has been instrumental in the implementation of Professional Learning Communities, or PLC’s. The PLC’s are groups of teachers that teach the same topic. These teachers meet on a monthly basis in order to go review what will be taught in the following month. The teachers also write the tests together, this to evaluate their teaching methods and also to evaluate the personal work of their students. PLC’s increase consistency in what is taught between teachers, allows for better experience for new teachers, and increases the quality of the education that students are receiving.

Recent Articles About Karl Krawitz:

Editorial: Class Rank Should Be Eliminated
Thefts Plague the Sophomore Lot
East Students Abuse Adderall for Tests
Head Football Coach Changes Team’s Mentality
District Proposes New Ideas for Class Schedules
Standing Out from the Crowd
A Look at Proposed School Closings and Budget Cuts
Fifth Quarters Offers Students Opportunities to Bond with Each Other
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