Swan Valley School's new principal Ralph King.
SWAN VALLEY – Swan Valley School's new principal Ralph King loves the educational process and the opportunities it provides to students. He looks forward to bringing his experience and love of education to the Swan Valley School and building relationships – the foundational point of building a good school, a good team with the staff and good partnerships with families and the community.
King grew up on a farm/ranch outside of Valier, Mont. Since junior high he has known he wanted to become a teacher.
"I liked school and the concept of what school can do for people of all walks of life and all economic areas," said King.
King got his bachelors of arts in education with a minor in language arts in 1987 from Northern Montana College, now Montana State University – Northern. Later he got a minor in special education.
King's first job was at a country school in Dupuyer, Mont. when he taught a fifth-eighth grade combination class. He said it required a lot of organization and planning and a lot of work, "but I was young," said King and smiled.
King graduated from MSU – Bozeman in 1994 with a Masters in School Administration.
Valier's superintendent asked King to return to Valier. He worked in administration until he was hired as the Office of Public Instruction Principal intern for Valier Public Schools. In addition to being the principal, he also taught high school and middle school language arts and served as the athletic director and coached basketball.
King worked in Valier for six years before moving to Alaska. He started in the Iditarod School District for his first two years. In 1999, while still working in Alaska, he built a Nordique Log cabin in the Swan Valley.
"The Swan reminded me of Dupuyer," said King. "I like to know everyone by name and by face. I appreciate a small town atmosphere. That kind of goes hand-in-hand with a country school."
King moved to Kotzebue, Alaska and spent 18 years in the northwest arctic Borough School District. He was a principal for 14 years and then served as the assistant superintendent for the District for the last four years. He retired in 2018 and moved back to Montana to be closer to his family.
King has a deep love for education, the educational process and is an advocate for public education. He thinks teachers are critically important since everyone should be a student of something and continually learning. Teachers have the ability to meet students' individual needs through the public education system, whether they are teaching to the masses or in a country school with combination classrooms.
"I view school as a place where kids can grow and the opportunities are limitless if adults are willing to lay it out there like that," said King. "It is up to you of what you would like to be and where you would like to go."
Once moving back to the Swan Valley full time, King approached Swan Valley School Board Chair John Mercer about the principal position – the position King feels his strengths are greatest. When the position opened, Mercer called him and asked if he would be interested in applying.
"I enjoy kids and staff and the process of school and the possibilities that it makes for kids," said King. "I feel very blessed to be back in it."
After more than 30 years in education, King feels he brings a variety of experience and many different scenarios that he can pull from. He said the first step is building relationships and garnering trust which takes time.
Even though he has had a home in the Swan Valley for the past 20 years, he said he doesn't know very many people. While he has only been hired for one day a week, he realizes to build relationships and set up a good foundation, he needs to see the whole school day and be present. Being retired and living in the Valley, he is accessible even when he is not in the school.
"I like to know the school is running well and the kids are front and center," said King. "Your presence means something and that is a doable challenge to overcome."
King will be doing a lot of observing, looking at curriculum with the staff and doing assessments. He said his goal is to support staff, students and families with the children being the upfront focal point. He looks forward to building longevity with the staff.
"I'm not here to make wholesale changes on anything, that is not how I operate. I will sit, observe, take notes and ask questions," said King. "Usually over time with positive staff relationships and interactions, positive changes come about. We always need to be looking to get better. [Instead of striving to be the best] I believe we need to self improve and be better. If we are moving towards better then we are moving in the right direction."
King believes parents and guardians need to be active participants in their child's education and he wants them to know he will represent them. Since Swan Valley School is so small, he looks forward to striving towards 100 percent engagement with families for parent teacher conferences.
King sees the school as a community hub and wants to foster relationships and bring members of the community into the school.
"I want people to feel comfortable to come in and share their talents," said King.
When not working King enjoys being outside and reading. He built a larger Nordique Log home 10 years ago on Green Park Way to entertain his three children and five grandchildren ages one to 13. He travels to many of their activities and enjoys being a part of their lives now that they all live in Montana.
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