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Strakbein named interim principal at Eagle Valley

Scott N. Miller

Eagle Valley High School has a principal, at least through the end of the next school year.

District administrators announced this week that Eagle Valley will be run until the end of the 2004-05 school year by Mark Strakbein, who until last week had been principal of the alternative Red Canyon High School. Strakbein is also a former principal at Battle Mountain High School. He has been with the district for the past nine years.

Strakbein started work Friday, replacing former principal Nelson Gould, whose contract for next year was not renewed. Gould has been reassigned until his contract expires at the end of this school year.



District Superintendent John Brendza introduced Strakbein to the staff early that morning. Since then, Strakbein has met individually with staff members. He also met with small groups of students through the course of his first day.

“I wanted to make sure people in each class were able to see me,” he said.

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Strakbein will be busy over the next three months or so. In addition to drawing up the class schedule for the next school year, Eagle Valley is set next year to join the district’s Teacher Advancement Program, also known as TAP. District spokeswoman Pam Boyd said the high school is among the last group of five district schools to implement the plan. The others set to start the program are Battle Mountain High School, Berry Creek Middle School, and Brush Creek and Eagle Valley elementary schools.

Strakbein will also be around next school year to help implement the TAP program at Eagle Valley. “It’s a major change, he said. “There are going to be some rough spots.”

While Strakbein will help the school start the TAP program, the school’s leadership picture is fuzzy after next year. Strakbein said district officials have left open the option for him to return to Red Canyon high in the 2005-06 school year. “We need to see if this is a good fit for the students, staff and myself,” he said.


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