Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Mark Heid
The Tekoa School District has a new superintendent.
Mark Heid began Aug. 7, coming to the district after 11 years as superintendent in Goldendale and continuing a career in education that started at age 31 as a kindergarten teacher.
He began his career after he left the apple industry to go back to college at age 29.
Heid succeeds Connie Kliewer, who now works as the Director of the Center for Special Education Services for Educational Service District 101 in Spokane. She served as Tekoa superintendent for seven years.
Heid, originally from Zillah, grew up playing football and basketball, and picking apples, cherries and cutting asparagus as his first jobs. He then worked at the new Zillah Food Center as a boxboy the last two years of Zillah High School.
He went on to play football and basketball at Yakima Valley Community College for two years.
Later, he married his high school sweetheart, Cora, at age 22, and worked for his wife's family orchards business.
During this time, a softball friend of Heid's kept saying he should be a teacher like him.
Heid eventually followed the advice and enrolled at Central Washington University, driving back and forth to Ellensburg from Yakima. A full-time student, he worked as a referee at night.
His first teaching job was in Wahluke, teaching kindergarten and second-graders, followed by time in Naches and then five years in Touchet as K-5 principal, three years as superintendent in Dixie and three years in Waterville as superintendent.
He and Cora raised two boys, now in their 30s.
They moved to Tekoa over the summer. Heid had visited before while coaching volleyball at Touchet from 1996-2000.
"I've really been impressed with Tekoa," Heid said. "The quality of the teachers and the support the community gives the school warms your heart. And I'm lucky to be here."
His intent for now is set.
"I asked the (school) board to give me the first year to build relationships," said Heid.
With the Tekoa district, he returns to the 1B school classification, coming from Goldendale, which is two levels up at 1A.
"It's nice to get back to what I started with as an administrator, that feel of a small community," Heid said.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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