Kathy Page, new Orcas Island Elementary Principal
By Cara Russell
This September 4th the students of Orcas Island Elementary will go back to school with a new face greeting them at the door — Kathy Page, the new elementary school principal. Born and raised in Washington State, Page grew up moving a lot, and has been a student at many different schools. “I never knew any of my principals, and always I thought that was strange,” she said.
Page received her Education undergraduate degree at Central Washington University, with a focus on Special Education; then she went on to get her Masters at Whitworth in Spokane, Wash. For the past thirteen years she has been a school principal in both Washington State and Arizona, and has a total of 25 years of experience in the education field. She plans to start a Doctorate Program once she gets settled in on the island.
Page and her husband, Michael arrived on Orcas at the end of June, with their first experience of the community being the Summer Solstice Parade. “We love the community here, and pinch ourselves every day.” Within the first nine days after arriving, Page, her husband, and their two dogs (Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher) drove to the top of Mt. Constitution six times. They would just sit there at dusk, when no one else was around, talking, and taking pictures to send to friends and family. “Our goal is to never ever take it for granted that we live in such a beautiful part of this world.”
Before coming to Orcas, Page was the elementary school principal at Lincoln Elementary in Arizona. While there, she started a food pantry, which served 100-150 families every Wednesday. She started a K-3 Family Literacy program, where parents of students could come to school with their child, learning English and lessons alongside them. Page’s husband was also often involved in the school, volunteering in many ways.
But in the large city she felt more isolated, part of a large machine where no one talks, no one connects, and those relationships just aren’t there. Page craved being part of a community, and when she found the online listing for the position here on Orcas Island, both she and her husband jumped at the opportunity.
Though Page left the isolation of a large city, it is clear that she did build something while she was there. When she left she was given a small treasure chest from the students and the staff to bring with her to Orcas. Inside the box there are over 900 pennies, one from each student, and a message of gratitude for the work she had done there. She promised them that she would keep it close, and it sits safely in in her new office here on Orcas.
Now that she is here, Page intends to continue the positive behavior recognition program—focusing on giving accolades when a student or a staff member does something nice, or goes above and beyond what is expected.
She has also been speaking with the PE teacher about continuing the walking-jogging program during recess, where a quarter-mile trek provides options for students and staff to get some physical activity. Students can walk with their teachers, together with friends, or alone. It is about reaching personal goals, getting out and getting moving.
Page has also had dialogues with faculty, parents, and students. She’s had meetings with middle school students, asking the kids what worked for them in elementary school, and what could be improved on.
“The way to become a principal is to be the best teacher possible.” This has been Page’s approach. She strives to create a family unit in the classroom, and a sense of community on a school-wide basis. “I’ve always been the principal where the door is always open, and the students can hang out behind the desk with me.”
Supt. Barbara Kline and new middle school/high school Principal Kyle Freeman have been very welcoming to Page and her husband. Freeman has been great at getting them acclimated, and he and his wife Kim showed up at their home with food to visit only hours after Page and her husband arrived on the island. “We’ve run out of the words to use. This is where we’ve landed and where we will stay.”
Page is busy this summer getting ready for September 4th, and what she is looking forward to most is the first day of school. She intends on continuing Freeman’s tradition of greeting the students every morning when they arrive. She plans on being so involved that you can find her in the cafeteria at lunch, on the playground at recess, and generally just about everywhere.
