The Kodiak Island Borough School District announced a string of new appointments on March 5 and 6.
Damon Hargraves, the principal of Peterson Elementary School, has been appointed as the next Assistant Superintendent. He will take over for Kim Saunders by the end of the school year.
Hargraves is the longest running school administrator currently in Kodiak with over 14 years of experience in the district. He got his start teaching in Unalakleet, and said he realized pretty quickly that education was his calling.
“We get to have this incredible impact on whole lives that then come back and continue to grow our community and our state and our country," he said. "In this position, that just means I'm gonna be able to help and assist and remove roadblocks and help find connections for that many more people.”
Hargraves has been principal of Peterson Elementary for four years. Rena Rankin, who is currently serving as the principal of Kodiak Middle School, will take Hargraves’ place at Peterson.
Rankin’s husband previously served in the Coast Guard, and Rankin said she is looking forward to working with kids who came to Kodiak as part of military families like hers. Peterson Elementary primarily serves students whose parents work in the US Coast Guard.
“ I'm excited to just learn something new, and just being able to work with those families, knowing we did come here as a military family and have experience moving," Rankin said, "And to just be able to work with families and students through that and support them however I can.”
Although Rankin is sad to be leaving her role at the middle school, she said she welcomes the opportunity for something new.
“My heart's with middle school and I love the students and the staff here. That part is hard to say I'm gonna walk away from that," Rankin said. "But I'm excited to just learn new kids, new faces, new families, new teachers and have a new adventure.”
Judith Bruns, the current Assistant Principal at Kodiak Middle School, will be taking Rankin’s position as the middle school’s principal. The district has published a job posting for Bruns’ old position on their website. Hargraves, Rankin, and Bruns will all be moving to their new positions before the end of the school year.
Likewise, the school district’s new superintendent Daniel Brigman will start his 3-year position on July 1.
