New principal chosen for high school

Out of five candidates, Kirk Marshlain has been chosen as the new Lake Roosevelt Junior-Senior High School principal.

The Grand Coulee Dam School District board approved giving Superintendent Paul Turner the go-ahead to hire Marshlain at their March 11 meeting.

“I think he’ll be a great addition to our team,” Turner said about Marshlain.

Marshlain currently works as a special education teacher in the Wenatchee School District and has worked at a home for troubled youth, Turner said. He’s currently finishing an administrative internship in Wenatchee.

The candidates for the position were interviewed a half hour each by students, a half hour each by about 15 staff members, and then by the interview committee of nine people.

That committee, which included staff, parents, and community members, was composed of Lee Largent, Jason Jackson, Shoshanna Palmanteer, Shelly Black, Mark Herndon, Pam Johnson, Lisa Lakin, Tim Rasmussen, and Turner.

“He was everybody’s top choice on the selection committee,” Turner said. “This will be his first principal position. He brings a lot of experience working with kids. One of the things that really stood out is we felt he would come here and there wouldn’t be much that would surprise him. He is very excited about coming and working with our demographics and our students.”

School Board Chairman Rich Black asked Turner what the kids thought of him.

“A lot of good,” Turner responded. “There were a couple candidates that the kids liked; he was one of them, and same with the staff.”

Turner said it was important to students and staff alike that a new principal would be in the area long term, and they feel that Marshlain has that potential.

“They grilled them pretty good,” Turner said about the students and the staff speaking to the candidates.

“It was a really good process,” Lakin, the elementary school principal, said. “We spent a lot of time with the candidates.”

Marshlain is expected to start in the 2019-20 school year.