MULLAN — The search for Mullan Jr./Sr. High School’s next principal was at the forefront of the small mountain community on Thursday afternoon.

A special interview committee held private meetings with Stetson Spooner, Jackie Almquist and George Fredric (Fred) Martin, the three of whom also appeared before the student body and members of the community for a special question and answer session.

Both Spooner and Almquist are current district employees, with Spooner handling the district’s physical education classes, as well as the athletic director, while Almquist currently teaches English at MHS.

Martin comes to Mullan by way of the world, including pit stops in places like France, Bahrain and Pakistan.

All of them were asked questions on their history in education, what they would change if they were hired for the position, likes and dislikes, and some personal preference questions.

Earlier this year, current principal Don Kotschevar announced his intentions to retire and the end of the school year after serving the district in many capacities for several years as a teacher, coach and administrator.

Kotschevar has touted his district as the “land of opportunity” for his students for several years and extended that to the trio of potential replacements.

Being fully aware that questions could be asked that may challenge how he did things or policies that he put in place, Kotschevar chose to remove himself in order to not compromise those asking or answering the questions.

“I want the people participating in this process to feel comfortable, no matter if they’re a student asking the question or a candidate answering a question,” Kotschevar said. “More than anything, I want this process to be fair.”

The official interview committee consisted of several members of the district, including Mullan School District Superintendent Les Wells, MSD Counselor Dr. Heather Branstetter, and others.

According to the committee, they will announce their choice for the position in the coming days.