TONASKET – Tonasket School District hired Kristi Krieg of Oak Harbor to take over Jay Tyus’s position as middle school principal.
Following an interview with the Principal Hiring Committee, a tour of the building by ASB middle school students, an interview with school district administrators and an interview with middle school staff and a Meet the Candidates session with community members and school board members, the decision to hire Krieg was announced Friday, June 24.
“It was neat to get to meet some of the community members and hear their perspectives,” Krieg said about the Meet the Candidates session. “I think it was my favorite part of the whole interview process.”
Krieg was the favorite among three candidates for the position.
“I have visited this area several times with my family, and we always said we wanted to come over. It all fell together,” said Krieg, who will be moving over with her husband and two children, ages five and three. Krieg’s 15-year old step-daughter will remain on Whidbey with her mom to finish out high school.
“We have horses, and that is what brought us this way; we helped some friends move their cows. This is the kind of community we want to raise our kids in, with a rural lifestyle.”
This will be Krieg’s first job as a principal after finishing up her administrative internship this month in Oak Harbor, where she taught for twelve years after completing her student teaching in the same school district.
“The transition to leave will be hard, as we both have long family histories there. It will be a change for us; taking a step out. But we are very excited about moving here. We live on Whidbey Island, so it is not a big city, but every time we head this way, when we crest the Cascades, we go, ‘Ahhhh….’ I just registered my five-year old for kindergarten yesterday,” said Krieg. “We are hoping to move over by mid-July, so the goal this summer is to immerse myself into the community. I want to take my kids to the junior rodeo, which we don’t have over there, and get the kids involved in community events and meet people through that. There are a lot more opportunities for FFA and 4H we would like to get our kids involved in.”
Krieg said her husband raises pigs and farms at home.
“He has a lot of skills; he’s also a contractor and a truck driver,” said Krieg. The family also has chickens and three dogs. “Like to say we have two and a half horses, because my daughter has a mini horse. She said, ‘We can’t live over there without my baby horse,’ so I assured her we would be bringing the horses.
Krieg, who lived in Anchorage from 1982 to 1999 said the family was also looking forward to four seasons.
“I grew up in Anchorage, and while I don’t want that much snow or that long a winter, it will be nice to have some snow again. We are definitely looking forward to the four seasons,” said Krieg.
Krieg completed her Educational Leadership through Western Governor’s University after obtaining her ME Curriculum and Instruction in Literacy through Leslie University in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2008 and getting her BA in Education with a focus on Interdisciplinary Child Child Development Elementary from Western Washington University in 2003.
Krieg’s administrative experience includes being a member of the Leadership Team; designing, improving and implementing an after school Enrichment Program; working with struggling students and implementing behavior plans; obtaining a grant to improve the student learning garden; mentoring a new fourth grade teacher; coordinating partnerships with the high school and Navy volunteers; attending 504 IEP (Individual Educational Plan) meetings; teacher of cluster classroom in the Highly Capable Program; participated and aided in investigations for discipline including involvement with local police department; and substituted as a principal at all levels (elementary, middle and high schools).
Her teaching experience at Oak Harbor Elementary is as a fourth grade teacher from 2013 to the present, a second grade teacher from 2006-2013 and as a kindergarten teacher at Oak Harbor Elementary/Hillcrest Elementary School from 2004-2006.
Professional and community affiliations include the Washington Education Association, Community Advisory Group for City of Oak Harbor, Oak Harbor Elementary PTA and Whidbey Western Gaming Association.
