Different focus

SOAP LAKE – Aaron Chavez, the Soap Lake School District’s new superintendent, said he is planning on building trust in the community and helping students succeed in life just as much as in academics.

“Our theme this year for the district is going to be mind, body and spirit, because we want to go beyond just getting kids ready for state tests, we want to get them ready for being a healthy human being,” said Chavez.

Chavez took over the vacant superintendent position in early July, after the previous superintendent, Kim Casey, moved away from Soap Lake. Casey had been superintendent for about a year when she took a position elsewhere.

“One of the first things I did was put a survey out to stakeholders talking about what should be the Superintendent’s top priorities, and stability is kind of something that’s really come up here,” said Chavez. “They’ve had some turnover in leadership and they want someone who’s going to be around for a while and trying to help them get where they want to go, and that’s kind of what I do, is come into districts and help turn things around a little bit.”

Chavez said that his last position was Superintendent Principal of Excelsior Holistic Schools, which prioritized focusing on students’ mental health and physical well-being on top of their academic instruction. He said that many children’s mindsets are negative when it comes to attending school or interacting with teachers, and he’d like to help make them excited to come to school instead.

Chavez, himself a chainsaw wood carver, used wood carving as an example of providing students with more vocational or skill-based experiences and instruction, and said he would also like students to be able to explore their unique gifts and passions while in school.

“The priority is still getting kids reading, writing, math and science, but also helping them find their giftedness, their purpose, their joy,” he said. “I think we’ve got to think differently as a district a little bit and just really try to give those kids those things that we’re not necessarily teaching right now in public schools.”

After his previous experience as a superintendent and his own interactions with teachers at a young age, Chavez said it was important to remember how formative schooling is for students beyond academics.

“So all those conversations that we have in the public setting in our schools, kids remember them, and you’ve got to be really aware of that,” he said.

Chavez said he has worked as a superintendent for multiple schools in Washington state, and that a continual trend for him was helping districts to move forward from challenges and problems they were facing when he entered those positions. He said that now that his children are adults, he no longer wants to move around so much.

“I’m at a different point in my career where I want to stay, stick around, build relationships with the community,” said Chavez. “I’m just wanting to help support the community, help support the district.”

Chavez said that the staff and community have been very welcoming to him and his wife and that he’s also had contact with former Superintendent Casey to help smooth the transition.

“Its been a quick transition, but its been a good transition, and I’m trying to continue some of the projects the previous superintendent was working on,” said Chavez. “The first year as a superintendent you’re just getting your feet on the ground.”

After he is settled, Chavez says he is excited to work with the Soap Lake School Board and that he thinks they, the staff, and the community are going to be very supportive of him and his plans.

“I’ve heard some staff saying that we’re at a crossroads, at kind of a tipping point right now,” said Chavez. “There’s an opportunity to really do some great things, so my job is to help do that, and I have some history of helping districts move forward from some things, so I’m excited, I’m pumped.”

To learn more about Chavez and the Soap Lake School District, visit www.slschools.org.

Gabriel Davis may be reached at gdavis@columbiabasinherald.com. Download the Columbia Basin Herald app on iOS and Android.