Title: Catalyst Alternative High School Principal
Three of your main daily tasks:
- Greeting and welcoming staff and students to school.
- Monitoring student performance and academic growth.
- I never know what the day will bring, so I’m always ready to jump in and help at a moment's notice.
One long-term project: I have always dreamed of and worked towards being the principal of a school that doesn’t fit the traditional mold of a comprehensive high school. Catalyst Alternative High School is that institution for me. I look forward to continuing to merge the Chehalem Online Academy with Catalyst, as well as developing programs within Catalyst that students can connect with, and find relevance to their learning and educational goals.
Your main goal: My goal is to create a school where every student feels welcomed and safe. My wish is for teacher-learner relationships that are cultivated through a dynamic and relevant curriculum that meets the needs of the Newberg community. Significant learning occurs best when students are held to high academic and social expectations, and I believe academic relevance is achieved through career exploration and post-high school preparation. My goal is to encompass these attributes under the roof of Catalyst Alternative High School.
Experience: I started teaching in 1998 as the Teacher-Coordinator of the Youth Transition Program in Sherwood. Shortly thereafter I also began teaching at the Capital Center Technology Institute-A program of the Northwest Regional ESD in Hillsboro. At night, I also taught Adult Basic Education-GED at Portland Community College at several different campuses. In 2002, I accepted a position at Sherwood Middle School teaching Technology and also became the Dean of Students. I oversaw seventh- and eighth-grade student management, all the while continuing to teach at PCC. In 2008, I accepted the position of Vice Principal in the David Douglas School District in Southeast Portland. I was in David Douglas School District until 2022 when I accepted my current position as the Principal of Catalyst Alternative High School in Newberg.
Education:
- Montana State University, Bachelor of Science in Technology Education
- Portland State University, Master of Science in Education: Policy, Foundations, & Administration
Skills & Hobbies: I have several interests and hobbies. During my free time, I enjoy spending time creating artwork through woodworking, stained glass projects, and building fishing rods. My family and I spend a lot of time relaxing in nature doing various outdoor activities. We are often on Northwest rivers fishing and enjoying water sports. Recently we began mountain biking and have traveled throughout the Northwest and Rock Mountains biking some of the best fat tire terrain around.
Family: My wife, Sarah, is a School Counselor at Newberg High School. We’ve been married for seven years and have two sons. Our oldest is a student at the University of Montana and our youngest is a first-grader at Middleton Elementary School in Sherwood.