KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
Kayla Desroches/KMXT
Kodiak High School has a new principal, but he’s not a new face.
Mel LeVan has taught math and science in Kodiak for about 25 years, and says he was considering retirement before applying for the position.
He says he’s had 10 principals since he started, he’s helped all of them on school-wide issue, and he feels it’s a natural progression from teacher to principal.
He’ll replace Chris Aguirre, who recently resigned.
LeVan says he has a lot to learn to meet students’ needs, and plans to build on the work of past principals.
He says he’ll also consult students and parents for their help.
“My view of problem solving is it doesn’t matter who comes up with a good answer. I mean, I feel like for big, unstructured problems, there’s possibly different answers, and the more people you engage in that problem solving the better chance you’ll be able to select the best of all possible answers.”
One of the first projects LeVan says he’ll work on is the grading structure. He says the language and terminology needs to be clearer so that parents can better understand their students’ performance evaluations.
He says his contract begins on July 1, and he’ll spend the rest of the summer working towards the beginning of the school year.
