Chase Principal Taking Position In Mead District Alison Olzendam Instituted Tolerance Program

The principal who many say helped turn around a troubled Chase Middle School is leaving the district.

Alison Olzendam, Chase’s prinicipal since 1995, will take over at Mead Middle School next fall, succeeding retiring Principal Ralph Sharp.

Olzendam, who will earn $5,000 more at Mead than her current $75,000 salary, said she the decision to move wasn’t an easy one.

“I love Chase and I love the people,” she said, “It’s been a tremendous experience.”

She said she made her decision in part to spend more time with her children. She lives in north Spokane.

She’s also drawn by Mead’s approach to education.

“Mead’s doing very creative things,” she said. “They have lots of enrichment programs - all of the things we know will help with middle school kids.”

The Mead district received nearly 30 applications for the position.

Olzendam has a history of handling sticky situations.

While principal at Glover Middle School, she dealt with remodeling and expanding enrollment, as well as several occasions when students brought weapons to school.

She became principal at Chase in 1995, just one year after the school opened. She found racial tension and a faculty mired in disputes.

After Olzendam’s arrival, Chase implemented a program to teach students tolerance and diversity. She also helped develop ways to reward students’ good deeds.

With Olzendam leaving, Chase will get its third principal in four years. Teachers are wondering how that will affect staff and students.

It’s going to be hard again to make another change,” said teacher Diane Gibson. “It is terribly traumatic.

“Whoever repalces her will have to be someone who has some experience and savvy.”

Olzendam’s departure from Chase also leaves District 81 with just one female principal in its upper level schools. Mary Haugen is principal at Salk Middle School.

“It’s always nice to have more women, but I don’t feel that this is negative,” said school board president Christie Querna. “Lots of our assistant principals are women.”

The district recently posted a job listing for the Chase position, and is at least a month away from naming a replacement, said district spokeswoman Terren Roloff.

At Mead, Olzendam will inherit a school still testing its legs as a middle school.

Mead switched from junior high to middle school format this year, sending ninth-graders to the district’s two high schools and implementing a seven-period day.

“She’s coming into an environment where we’ve gone through total restructuring,” Sharp said. “The staff is still striving to devise a schedule to meet all the students’ needs.”

Olzendam said she’s looking forward to seeing education from a smaller district’s perspective.

“I’m walking into an absolutely terrific situation,” she said.