Transition is the key word these days in the upper echelons of the Enumclaw School District.
Last week, it was announced that Kyle Fletcher, principal at Sunrise Elementary School, will head to the administration building as the district’s latest director of business and operations. He will begin his districtwide duties July 1 and replace Ed Hatzelbeler, who resigned recently to take over as superintendent of the Orting School District.
Fletcher’s move leaves the district looking for new principals at two of its xxxxx elementary schools. In another recent move, Mimi Brown announced that she will be leaving Byron Kibler Elementary where she has been principal for xxxxx years.
Brown is departing the district, headed for a position with the xxxxx School District.
The two positions will be posted statewide to recruit the best-qualified candidates. The district will seek input from ESD staff, families, and our community. We hope to name the next principal for each elementary by early June.
The elementary jobs come on the heels of the recent hiring of Dr. Rod Merrell, who will take the reins July 1 as principal at Enumclaw High School. He replaces Phil Engebretsen, who will move into a newly-created position in the district’s administrative ranks.
FLETCHER IS IN
Fletcher came to the Enumclaw district seven years ago and has served as Sunrise principal since his arrival. Previously, he had worked at Chehalis Middle School for eight years – three as a science teacher followed by five yeas as assistant principal.
Before launching his career in education, Fletcher earned a bachelor of science degree in technical communication from the University of Washington. He went on to receive a master’s in education administration from Grand Canyon University
” Serving the students and families at Sunrise Elementary these past seven years has been one of my greatest privileges and most fulfilling experiences,” Fletcher said through a district press release. “I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity to partner with our district leadership team and look forward to continuing the impactful work of serving the students, families, and educators of our greater Enumclaw and Black Diamond communities.”
HATZENBELER RETURNS TO ORTING
Hatzenbeler began his career in education in Enumclaw, departed for professional growth with the Orting School District and, in 2016, returned to Enumclaw. Following that pattern, he is now set for a return to Orting.
His duties begin July 1 in the nearby, rapidly-growing Pierce County district.
“I have continued to learn and grow in this system thanks to so many amazing individuals,” Hatzenbeler said of his time in Enumclaw. “The lessons I have learned will definitely carry me through this next chapter in my career.”
Since 2016, Hatzenbeler has served as the Enumclaw School District’s director of business and operations. In that role he not only watched over dollars and cents, but also had a hand in the management of construction projects and other initiatives tied to increasing enrollment.
His entry into the world of pubic education began in 1998 when he came to Enumclaw as a student-teacher. He quickly landed a full-time teaching job with the district and spent seven years at Enumclaw Middle School. That was followed by three years at EMS and three more in the same position at Enumclaw High. With those growing responsibilities on his resumé, Hatzenbeler landed a job as principal at Orting High School, a post he held for four years before sliding into the administrative ranks as Orting’s executive director of teaching, learning and assessment.
He help that administrative post with Orting until returning to the Enumclaw district in 2016.
Hatzenbeler will be the third person to occupy the Orting superintendent’s office in 16 months. In March 2020, Marci Shepard left the district after six years as superintendent and her replacement, Tony Apostle, retired after one year.
