Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Mike Jones is the new principal of Garfield-Palouse High School.
A longtime teacher and interim principal last year for LaCrosse High School, Jones started Monday, taking over for Tim Coles, who unexpectedly retired in July after suffering a heart attack.
Jones, a 1993 graduate of Washtucna High School, received his administrative credentials in 2013 from Eastern Washington University.
Earlier this summer, Jones accepted an offer to teach social studies full-time at Garfield Middle School.
Later, after Coles retired, a search began in earnest for a principal for the high school.
Jones, who earlier this year had been passed over for the open LaCrosse High School principal job, applied.
Last Wednesday, three candidates were interviewed by the school board, high school staff and members of the community; Brent Seedall, a former principal at Washtucna School, Noel Akin, a current teacher at Gar-Pal High, and Jones.
Supt. Calvin Johnson ultimately recommended Jones and the board endorsed the selection last Thursday.
Jones and Johnson agreed to terms a day later.
The change for Jones comes after 16 years teaching at LaCrosse, where he began in 1998. After graduating from WSU with a Master’s Degree in Science, he began his student teaching at Garfield Middle School. He also coached the Garfield boys basketball team for three years.
Jones and his wife have two sons, in seventh and eighth grade, who will attend Garfield Middle School.
Coles’ retirement also concluded a 29-year career as head boys basketball coach for the Vikings, during which he coached against Jones as a player, then as a fellow coach.
Most recently, Jones was head coach of the L/W Tigercats in 2013 and the two teams went head to head in a contentious Southeast 1B season and playoffs.
Jones’ team advanced to state, taking third.
Now that there is an opening on the sidelines at Gar-Pal, would Jones be interested?
“That’s not my intent,” he said. “Right now, being a first-year principal will take enough of my time.”
Palouse school board president Mike Dymkoski indicated that the coaching search is not on a pressing timetable, since the season is not until November.
Jones and family are now on the lookout for a house in the Palouse area.
“I’m excited about this opportunity, it’s been a whirlwind but I’m blessed and very fortunate,” he said.
He leaves LaCrosse-Washtucna after an association stretching back to school days in Washtucna.
“It’s sad on the one hand, but at the same time, change is necessary,” Jones said.
Jeff Pietela of Wahluke High School (Mattawa, Wash.) was named the new principal in June for LaCrosse High.
After so long with L/W, what will it be like for Jones to don the colors of Gar-Pal?
“Black is slimming,” he said.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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