Skykomish School Board appoints new superintendent

On March 25, the Skykomish School Board appointed Martin Schmidt as the district superintendent. Schmidt had been the interim superintendent since July 2014.

He came to the district from his position as the superintendent for the Gorman School District in California.

Schmidt presented the following letter to the Skykomish Valley Community:

"I am very happy to have recently accepted the Board of Directors' offer to continue as Skykomish School District superintendent for the next three years. Last year, when I came to Skykomish, I quickly began to appreciate the many advantages of a small school in a rural area. If I had the chance to go back in time 30 years, I would have wanted my two children to have attended Skykomish School. One of the things that initially impressed me the most was how up-to-date our school is. I saw Smart Boards in almost every classroom being used by teachers to make their lessons relevant and interesting. I observed laptops being used every day by our students. Our high school students are even taking their school laptops home so that they can more efficiently do their assignments and homework.

"Another thing that I highly value at Skykomish is how the small size of our school lends itself to knowing each student's individual needs and giving each student individual attention in each class every day. Knowing our students well and providing attention to every learner is one of the reasons that Skykomish School has one of the highest graduation rates in the state.

"Being connected to a small, supportive community is also a big asset when it comes to bringing up healthy, well-rounded kids. Our students frequently take advantage of the opportunity to volunteer in the community and be the recipients of generous support from community members. An example of this was the opportunity to have our students participate in outdoor learning conducted by local Forest Service personnel. Many of our students also take advantage of a weekly ski school program supported by Stevens Pass and members of the local fire department. Growing up in a small community also allows our students to learn and study in an environment that is free from so many of the negative influences that young people in urban areas are often faced with.

"My vision for our district is to utilize all of the advantages of a small school district and a dedicated staff to provide a rigorous, relevant and interesting education that prepares our students for success in post-high school education and/or careers.GÇ¥