A career to remember
Frontier Middle School Principal Lisa Hanson gives some coaching advice to a group of PE students playing softball. In her 31 years in education, Hanson has not only coached a variety of sports, but taught in the classroom and served at the administrative level.<br>Aimee Hornberger/Columbia Basin Herald
MOSES LAKE — For the past 31 years, students have been the center of Lisa Hanson's life.
From coaching, teaching in the classroom and taking up administrative positions, there are a handful of memories Hanson will take with her as she prepares to retire from her position as principal at Frontier Middle School.
And since starting her career in 1974 at Chief Moses Middle School and then later moving to FMS where she has worked for the past 19 years, those memories are so numerous they could fill the hallways and classrooms of both schools.
"I always knew I wanted to teach," she said.
Some of those memories include watching the growth of sports teams, especially those opportunities for girls; visiting with past students who have graduated and started their own families; and, yes, even more tragic events like the 1996 shooting at FMS.
"There are a lot of heroes in the building," Hanson said of students and staff who helped each other during such a devastating time. "I have a lot of respect for them."
The eventual transition from teaching and coaching to more administrative roles has been a positive change for Hanson as she has watched the school district and community grow together.
With the addition of a skate park, aquatic center and new extracurricular programs over the last 31 years, Hanson feels good about the opportunities Moses Lake has to offer students.
"I really see a lot of strengths," she said.
Those strengths also come from staying on top of trends in education and in the social life of students.
The pay off is not getting to go home at 3 p.m. everyday or summers off, but for Hanson, watching the lives of students go beyond the front doors of FMS.
And as Hanson readies to also leave FMS, she has this advice for students: "Take responsibility for your learning and be the best (you) can be," she said.
Hanson is confident that parents, teachers and the district as a whole are committed to helping students do just that.
"Moses Lake is always trying to better the schools, strive for excellence," Hanson said.
But amidst the serious moments of classroom instruction, discipline and tragedy, Hanson has learned to keep hold of her humorous side and grow a lot of patience when it comes to working with and helping students succeed.
With only weeks left until her retirement is official, Hanson will not soon forget the staff, students and administration she leaves behind.
"They've shown their professional support and team work," she said. "It has made my career very memorable."
While Hanson may be retiring from education, she has plenty to keep her busy when she moves to Lake Wenatchee.
Fishing, huckleberry picking, wood carving and packing up her new travel trailer and setting off down the road; these are just a few of Hanson's favorite things.