Your Evergreen Schools | July 2014 | Page 4

July 2014 New faces, new places N middle schools, two high schools and one ew principals at two elementary schools, two specialty school will be in place this fall when school begins.  Here are profiles of the newest Evergreen Public School principals. Charbonneau Gourde, currently Associate Principal at Heritage High School, will be Covington Middle School’s new principal. Gourde, who has worked in the district since 1999, first as a teacher at Mountain View, then Dean of Students at Union, before moving to Heritage, takes over from Byron Molle who retired at the end of the school year. He grew up in Castle Rock, then attended Western Washington University where he obtained Bachelor and Master degrees, as well as adding an additional MA in Education Administration from Grand Canyon University. “I believe education creates a level playing field for all citizens, and that it is our job to empower our students to take control of their lives.” After serving for eight years as Associate Principal, Tracy Thompson moves up to Principal at Pacific Middle School as Kathy Stellfox retires. Prior to coming to Pacific, she taught math and science in the Battle Ground School District. She did her undergraduate work at Washington State University, graduated law school from Seattle University, and then completed her school administration program at WSU. She embraces, and plans to carry forward with a growth statement the Pacific staff wrote at the start of the 2012-13 school year: “It doesn’t matter where you start. It’s how far you get while you are here. Every day is a chance to grow!” Rebecca (Becky) Kadrmas is the new principal at Marrion Elementary.  She has spent the last eight years in the GreshamBarlow School district as middle school assistant principal and principal at two elementary schools.  However, she and her family reside in the Evergreen School District and her children attend Wy’east Middle School and Mountain View High School. She has a Bachelor of Science Education from Valley City State University, a Masters of Education from Portland State University and Administrators certifications from Lewis & Clark College and University of Portland.  Becky is excited to be working in Evergreen, “Marrion has many great strengths and traditions to uphold. I’ll be working side-byside with the staff and community to maintain these while continuing to focus on increasing student success for all.” Laura Buno is the new principal at Harmony, but is not new to that elementary as she moves from associate principal. She will start her 15th year with the district this fall having served as a school psychologist, high school special education department head and special services area coordinator before making the transition into school administration. Laura has a Education Specialist degree in School Psychology from the University of Idaho and has her Masters in Education-School Counseling and Administrative Credential from Washington State University, She and her husband Jey have three children – an incoming high school freshman, an incoming middle school student and a 4th grader – so it’s no surprise family activities top her list, along with playing soccer, watching the Portland Timbers and reading.