MULLAN — The Mullan School District is excited to announce that Jacki Almquist will be accepting the position of principal of Mullan Jr./Sr. High School.

Almquist beat out Stetson Spooner and George Fredric Martin to replace Don Kotschevar as the leader of MHS.

Almquist has been a teacher at MHS for years, while also furthering her own education and is excited to be stepping up into a position of leadership at her high school alma mater.

“I’m looking forward to being part of a professional learning team of students, teachers and community members,” Almquist said. “The Mullan School District is an amazing place for educational leadership opportunities for students and staff.”

With Mullan being a smaller school and district, administrators pull double duty and Almquist is no different.

Almquist will be splitting her time between her new administrative duties and continuing to teach English.

“I’m excited about that because I do love to teach English and wasn’t really sure I was ready to give that up,” Almquist said. “Plus, it gives me more time to engage with students both in groups and individually.”

The transition should be a seamless one for Almquist, who praised the work of her superintendent Les Wells and predecessor Kotschevar for cultivating a positive environment in the MSD, and Almquist doesn’t plan on changing that.

“Mullan provides a safe, student-driven learning environment, and I plan to continue the strong support of students and teachers that Don Kotschevar and Les Wells have established,” Almquist said. “We have high academic and behavioral expectations for our students reinforced by educational and extra-curricular activities such as drama, music and athletics available to all our students. Encouraging more students to take advantage of post-secondary education/training opportunities is always a priority.”

Almquist has many reasons as to why she loves the Mullan School District, citing the students and their support for each other which helps keep the environment fun at the school, but her love for the district runs incredibly deeper than that.

“I attended Mullan K-12 and graduated from here,” Almquist said. “I love the traditions they’ve upheld, along with their eye on the future. I’m constantly reminded of memories or ‘ghosts’ from the past as I wander the hallways and classrooms. It’s a very special school and community.”