New principal Tom Barbieri began the school year at Cranston High School West with a strong message to pass along to the students and families at the school.

"It is very inviting here at Cranston West. We have a lot of great things to offer and we're a strong, supportive educational community,” he said.

West was most recently in the news during the last school year for the turmoil that took place surrounding the prayer mural that hung in the school's auditorium. Barbieri and his team are looking to move the school forward this year.

"We've been through good and bad here, but we're still a community and we're making West the best school community possible," he said.

As a parent who lives in the school community, Barbieri is particularly excited about returning to West and leading the school.

"The administrative team here has come together for one thing: what's best for your child," Barbieri told the parents and students gathered at the recent Back to School event at West. "This is personal for me. I want the best for every single one of you here.”

Barbieri stressed that the job cannot be done alone, however.

"We want to make this school as great as it can be and as parents you can help to make this school community the best school community possible," he said. "Call when you have questions. Be involved. Be active on the school improvement team, be active on the parent board. I need you to be involved.”

As the school year begins, Barbieri is excited about some changes already in the works at West, including more displays of student artwork. A new mural featuring the school mascot, the falcon, is being installed in the main office.

Barbieri was pleased to see such a large staff turnout at the back to school events held over the summer.

"One third of our staff was here, many of them coming in from out of state for the Back to School Night. That shows dedication and it's a comfort to our staff and our students," he said.

As the former principal of Hugh B. Bain Middle School and as Rhode Island’s Middle School Principal of the Year, Barbieri has taken with him his mantra of “Respect,” from Bain to West.

"My mantra is Respect: Give, Get Respect. It's on the school planners, it was on the first slide of my Power Point presentation and it's what I expect here at West," he said.

One thing that Barbieri is particularly excited for is the increased involvement that alumni to the school will be having at West, moving forward.

"People are staying in this community. There are local businesses who are from here, they are resources for our community, they want to stay connected to this community," he said.

Barbieri added that with a population of approximately 1,600 current students at West, much of the responsibility for creating a successful school community would be placed on them as well.

"They're not in middle school anymore. They are responsible members of this school community too," he said. "That's what a community does. Everybody works in a community and everybody helps to bring greatness and success to a community. It's a lot easier to get through the tough times when you have a strong sense of community.”

Barbieri's outlook for the future at West is one of optimism.

"There are great things to come. I'm very optimistic about that, especially with the great educational community that I'm surrounded by."