Wahluke Principal Jeff Pietla moving on

MATTAWA - Wanting to live closer to family, Jeff Pietila will give up the reins of Wahluke High School at the end of the school year and, hopefully, start a new assignment.

"I have my superintendent's credentials, and I'd like to use them," he said last week.

Pietila made his decision early so that he can begin the process of finding a new post. He's thinking of the possibility of a combined superintendent-principal position in a small district.

Pietila, 57, has been in education for 35 years. He could retire now, but he believes there are at least 10 more years of wear on the tires.

Pietila is hoping to find a job around Spokane to be near a daughter, around Tacoma to be near his parents or the Olympic Peninsula to be near his wife January's sister.

"I just want to get back closer to family," he said.

Another reason Pietila is moving on is that the school will be an all-technology school by next year. He admits he's not very tech-savvy.

"I think they should find someone who has a strong tech background," he said.

Pietila will leave with fond memories of his time at Wahluke. The school won numerous state and national awards during his time. There were several boys state soccer titles.

"I've loved working with the kids," he said. "They're great kids."

Pietila was born in Spokane but raised in Puyallup. He earned his Bachelor's at Western Washington University, his teaching certificate at Eastern Washington University and his Master's at Central Washington University. He obtained his executive leadership certificate at City University of Seattle.

Pietila's first job was librarian and social studies teacher in the Selkirk School District. He moved on to Columbia River High School in Vancouver, where he launched boys and girls soccer programs. He was chosen state coach of the year one year.

Pietila's first administrative assignment was assistant principal at Mt. Baker High School. He then moved on to Waitsburg High School for 10 years.

"I've always liked natural resources/agricultural communities," he said. "I really do like eastern Washington."

Pietila already knew this part of the state when he applied for the principalship at Wahluke. January, who is a fourth grade teacher, was born in Quincy.

January's parents had come here in one of the homestead ranch lotteries. Her father later became the WSU Extension agent for Douglas and Chelan Counties, and her mother was a teacher at Waterville High School.

When Pietila learned Wahluke High had a Spanish-dominant enrollment and some Spanish monolingual students, he was unfazed. He had had a similar situation at Mt. Baker.

"But there I had to deal with several eastern European languages and cultures," he said.

"When I came here," he added, "I needed to learn the culture and what the parents wanted for their children. It was the same as all other parents. They wanted a good education."