Joel Auers of Great Falls has been named the new Glacier High School principal.

He will assume the role on July 1 when current Glacier Principal Micah Hill will take on the superintendent position of Kalispell Public Schools following Mark Flatau’s retirement.

The district received 17 applications for the position. Candidates Alan Stanfield, an academic advisor and assistant football coach at Whitworth University in Washington, and Keith Nelson, vice principal at Wood River High School in Idaho, were also interviewed for the position.

Flatau said what stood out about Auers was his character, integrity and positive reports received by his colleagues.

Auers brings experience working at the middle school and high school levels in different roles — teacher, coach, department head and administrator.

“I was looking for new opportunities and this was the right fit, at the right time and place,” Auers said during a phone interview Monday, adding that he is looking forward to maintaining Glacier’s quality programs. “The Kalispell community was very welcoming throughout the whole interview process.”

Auers holds a Master of Science in Education Leadership and Administration from Northern State University in South Dakota. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from Dickinson State University in North Dakota where he majored in physical education and minored in psychology.

Auers is currently the administrative intern, a job title formerly known as the administrative student advocate, for East Middle School in Great Falls Public Schools, a position he’s held since 2015. The school has an enrollment of roughly 834 students he said. In this role, he had responsibilities similar to an assistant principal or dean position, working on student discipline, counseling, or special education plans, to name a few At one point, he served both East and North middle schools.

Prior to that he served as a seventh- and eighth-grade health enhancement teacher and athletic director for East Middle School from 2008 to 20015 and was the health department representative from 2009 to 2015.

From 2002 to 2008, he was a high school health enhancement teacher and head wrestling coach at C.M. Russell High School in Great Falls. From 2006 to 2008, he also served as the health enhancement department head.

Earlier in his career, he held a position as an instructor of pedagogy in education for Northern State University Health and Physical Education and Health Department in South Dakota and as a seventh-grade physical education and First-Aid teacher at Buhl Middle School Idaho. During this time, he continued coaching wrestling.

As far as overseeing a high school of about 1,367 students, Auers said he up for the challenge. He’s also coming to the position at an unprecedented time where staff is working to come up with a plan for the fall in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I like doing hard things and working harder. I have a great passion for working with kids and teachers and in the community,” Auers said, drawing from years of coaching students, whether out on the field or in the school.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.