By Brenda Sexton

The Courier-Herald

While Puyallup High seniors start clearing out their lockers and getting ready for graduation, assistant principal Michael Hagadone will be packing up his belongings and preparing to move on, too - moving on to his office at White River High where he takes over the helm July 1.

The White River School Board hired Hagadone for the WRHS principal's job at a special meeting May 24 in the district board room.

&#8220I'm awed,” Hagadone told the board. &#8220I don't know what else to say. It was a grueling process. I've been in education 26 years and to do this was an opportunity for reflection, soul searching, and a reaffirmation of what I believe in.

&#8220I'm honored to be considered your selection,” he continued. &#8220I see nothing but great things on the horizon for the White River School District and White River High School.”

&#8220It was a grueling process,” Superintendent Tom Lockyer said. &#8220We had a great pool.”

Lockyer said Hagadone brings excellent experience to the district and has the skills to move it forward.

Hagadone, a resident of the Sumner/Bonney Lake area, leaves a job as assistant principal at Puyallup High, a position he's kept since 2000.

Prior to accepting the Puyallup job, he was a teacher and football coach in the Enumclaw and Sumner school districts. He also taught and coached football at Sandpoint High School in Idaho.

In other business, the board:

€ announced the district retirement celebration will be at 3:15 p.m. Thursday in the high school commons.

€ announced Collins High graduation will be June 13 in the WRHS theater.

€ will host its next regular meeting at 6 p.m. June 14 in the district board conference room.

€ approved an interlocal agreement with Pierce County Fire Protection District allowing the fire department to use approximately 1 acre of land behind their station near Foothills Elementary School for all-terrain vehicle training.

€ denied White River Middle School teacher Nathan Oliver a request for leave of absence.

€ approved White River School District office assistant Nancy Thieman's leave of absence.

€ approved retirement for district technical support specialist (accounting) Becki Belcher and Mountain Meadow Elementary teacher Sean Gallagher.

€ accepted the resignation of WRHS's Debby Larson (teaching only) and Elk Ridge Elementary teacher Lynne Moe.

€ hired bus drivers Randall Gregg, Roger Hansen, Linda Hix, Keith Kilburn and WRHS teachers Barbara Keene, Sara Weidenbach and Travis Weingard.

Brenda Sexton can be reached at bsexton@courierherald.com.