Swartz named interim Othello HS principal

OTHELLO — Longtime Othello High School teacher and administrator Scott Swartz has been named interim OHS principal.

He replaces Alejandro Vergara, who took a job in another district.

For the 2019-20 school year Swartz was one of two assistant principals at OHS. It was his third year in the assistant principal’s job.

But he’s been teaching in Othello long enough that some of the teachers on the OHS staff were once his students. “I just finished my 23rd year,” he said.

“I’ve been in education my whole life,” he said, being the son of a longtime Moses Lake High School teacher. But originally he didn’t plan to be a teacher at all, he said, being more interested in a career as a physical therapist. “My dad was the one who kind of pushed me into it,” Swartz said.

But teaching was the right fit. There are so many things he likes about teaching he doesn’t know where to start in listing them, he said.

It’s a satisfying feeling when his students understand the concept he’s trying to teach, he said, and when they figure out how to do it themselves. “Seeing that light bulb come on. It’s amazing,” he said.

Students get confident enough in their own skills to help other students, he said. Then they move on from understanding to creating their own questions. “That to me is amazing,” he said.

Swartz worked at Big Bend Community College for four years before taking a job at McFarland Middle School. After six years at MMS, he moved on to OHS.

“I love it. I love working in Othello,” he said. The students, teachers and staff, parents and district patrons have been very good to him, he said.

Some OHS graduates have come back as teachers. “It’s really nice to see them come back,” Swartz said.

After a long time in the classroom, Swartz became an instructional coach at OHS, teaching other teachers to be more effective. He obtained his administrative credentials and moved on to the assistant principal job when the instructional coach position ended.

“I went into administration because I felt I could make a bigger difference in the school,” Swartz said. He thought he could have an impact on the lives of more kids as a principal than a teacher, he explained.

The 2020-21 school year is a challenging time to become the principal, since school is starting online. Schools statewide were closed in mid-March as part of the response to the COVID-19 outbreak, and the Othello School District has opted to start the school year with online classes only.

Swartz said teachers and students have had time over the summer to learn more about online classes, and district officials are adding resources to help parents and students navigate online learning. “A lot more time to prepare,” he said.