OIES Student Council, staff, Orcas community assist with Principal candidate selection

||| FROM ERIC WEBB, ORCAS SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT |||

I am absolutely thrilled to share that OISD has selected an extraordinary Elementary, Montessori Public, and OASIS principal candidate to join our district!  Please read below to learn more about the selection process!

Principal Transition

In December, Orcas Island School District announced the transition of current Elementary Principal Lorena Stankevich into the role of OISD Special Services Director in July of this year.  Mrs. Stankevich will be in charge of Special Education, Preschool, Multilingual, Highly Capable and Assessment. 

Search and Screening

This transition left the district in search of a new Elementary, Montessori Public, and OASIS K-8 Principal.  The search started in earnest with the posting of the position in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Canada. Through this extensive search, the district received 21 completed applications. After a standard screening process utilizing the district’s rubric, we narrowed the applicant pool to eight amazing candidates from three different states. The majority of these eight candidates were experienced principals, and five of the applicants had connections to the island.

Interview Committees

In January and February, OISD solicited potential volunteers from the community to form a Community Interview Committee representing island parents, organizations, and businesses.  In addition, an OISD Staff and Faculty Committee was formed comprised of Orcas Elementary, Montessori Public, and OASIS School staff as well as both employee unions. The Community Committee interviews and Staff and Faculty Committee interviews were facilitated by Mallory Balcomb and Vicki Vandermay of Human Resources, respectively. Both committees met with their respective facilitators prior to the interviews to prepare for the interviews and become familiar with the interview process.

Committee Candidate Interviews

Both committees conducted interviews of all eight candidates on March 5th, 6th, and 7th.  In total, the preliminary interviews lasted for a duration of two hours for each applicant, and consisted of 30 plus questions.  Following the last interview, the two committees debriefed and selected the two finalists who would move on to the final interview phase.

Final Interviews

Just prior to the final interviews, one of the two remaining applicants removed their name from consideration.  Our remaining finalist, and both interview committees’ top choice, Sharman Ensminger participated in final interviews with Superintendent Webb and Vicki Vandermay, Human Resources on Thursday, March 14th. 

Student Council Interview

Following interviews in the District Office, Ms. Ensminger attended an interview with 11 Elementary Student Council representatives in the school library. Sponsored by Mrs. Malo, the OIES Student Council students were prepared with questions for the candidate they had composed the week prior to the interview. 

Students spent an hour with Mrs. Ensminger presenting their questions, which included collaboration between grade, lunch and recess procedures, and how she handles discipline. When asked about student clubs, Ms. Ensminger responded in Spanish asking if there was an interest in a Spanish Club that she could also be a part of.  The interaction between the students and Ms. Ensminger was genuine and relaxed.  Interviews concluded with the OIES Student Council unanimously offering Mrs. Ensminger their stamp of approval!

Principal Candidate Finalist Selected

At the conclusion of the student interviews, Ms. Ensminger was taken on a tour of the OISD campus and visited over lunch with District Office Staff.  At the end of the day, Ms. Ensminger was offered the position, at which time she accepted and shared her excitement to begin her journey with OISD.

Mrs. Ensminger comes to us from Oregon and was the top choice of the Community and Staff Interview Committees. She has worked in several rural schools over her 32 years in education and has served as teacher, counselor, principal, and Director of Equity, Access, & Instructional Technology. She is also bilingual and has taught English Language Acquisition for over a decade. She and her husband purchased a home on the island in December, and intend to make the island their permanent home.

Principal Candidate Finalist Recommendation to School Board

Mrs. Ensminger will be recommended to the School Board for approval during the March 26 regular board meeting. Following the Board’s approval, a bio will be released and a Meet & Greet will be scheduled to provide the opportunity for students, families, staff, and community to meet Mrs. Ensminger before the end of this school year.  Her official start date will be July 1, 2024.

Please join me in welcoming Ms. Ensminger to our OISD and Orcas community!