Wahkiakum School District welcomes new Superintendent Watkins

Wahkiakum School District Superintendent Ralph Watkins spent the last 12 years in Alaska. With a couple of those years being spent in Shishmaref, a town Watkins described as a "poster child for climate change," the newly appointed superintendent learned a lot about community while living in these Alaskan villages. Wanting to not only work in communities of 2,000 people or less, as well as being closer to his aging mother and father in Los Angeles, Calif., Watkins, along with his wife and son, were attracted to Cathlamet's small-town feel.

"I like the work of the superintendent, but I like the ability to work with teachers and students more closely," said Watkins. "My first week, I got to ride all of the bus rides with the kids and play four-square and shoot baskets at the middle school at lunchtime. When you're in a larger school, it's just harder to do that. Cathlamet reminds me of that village feel, that close-knit community...My time in Cathlamet - the two months I've been here - have been so welcoming, and I appreciate that. My family feels like this is a match for what we're looking for in a community."

Watkins considers himself "lucky" the board saw a match of his skill set and what they needed from a superintendent, including those skills he acquired working with indigenous tribes in Alaska. "What I learned from the board and from my interaction with the staff up to this point is they're a very relational group," said Watkins. "There's intentionality in almost anything they do, and it's always focused on the kids and how they can support their students and how the administration can support their principals. That, to me, is a strength. My time in the villages really taught me a lot about community. I believe that's a strength of this district I can complement with my work. One of the things that I'm really passionate about is my work with indigenous populations. I recently published a book called "Leading With Purpose." It's a leadership framework for non-native school leaders who serve in predominantly native schools...Washington has 29 federally recognized tribes, but that's a political thing, not a statement of validity. I know that this district has a desire to incorporate more indigenous instruction and history, and I feel like that's something I can bring not just to Wahkiakum but to the state."

Watkins noted one of the big reasons he focused on smaller "close-knit" communities like Cathlamet in his job search was his overall goal "to ensure a quality education for every student every day." Still, Watkins recognizes something like that "looks different for every student" every day. "We have to be flexible in our approaches," he said. "We have to be pliable in how we manage and navigate all the nuances of being in education in today's climate. We have to stay committed to our mission and not get hung up in all of the noise that's around us around education. Being in contact with our community and listening to our families, our parents, our students. Then building our framework for how we're going to do our instructions around that and let that drive us and not a political or personal ideology. That's something that our school board has made very clear and with which I'm impressed. They want to be value-added pieces to our community. From what I see, they've done an amazing job. There's always more work to do. My goal right now is small footprints and looking at where I can make an impact that's going to be a positive impact to students and teachers without trying to dismantle something. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Just find ways to make it better, and that's what I'm doing."