ROYAL CITY — Royal Middle School is getting a new principal.

Jerrod Copenhaver, who has been teaching fifth grade at Royal Intermediate School since 2014, has been tapped to take over from the retiring David Jaderlund starting July 1.

“I'm very excited,” Copenhaver said. “It's a great opportunity to keep working in this community.”

Teaching school in Royal City is a long way from what Copenhaver thought he’d be doing. He grew up on the west side and planned from an early age to work in law enforcement. And he did that, as a juvenile probation counselor in Kittitas County. He worked toward his teaching certification during that time, he said.

“I just kind of realized that I wanted to work in a more enjoyable environment with kids,” Copenhaver said. “I think what really helped me do it is, you realize that life's not so black and white for kids and that kids are experiencing bad things at home. And that kind of helped me work with kids in the classroom a lot better. Looking at the whole child.”

Copenhaver said he’s expecting the transition to the middle school to be a smooth one.

“The good news is I've taught all of them, so I know the kids in our school district,” he said. “I think the middle school is doing a lot of great things for kids right now.”

One of those things, Copenhaver said, is that the school has a house system, much like the fictional Hogwarts.

“Every kid gets put into a house and then you have competitions within your house,” he said. “You earn points for good behavior, and you feel like you're part of a team.”

The houses at Royal Middle School take a more medieval tone, he added, renaming the units kingdoms and strongholds.

Copenhaver has kept his hand in at law enforcement while he’s teaching, as a reserve sergeant for the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office. He, his wife and their three daughters live in the country outside Ellensburg, and he commutes daily to Royal City.

“I'm looking forward to learning and getting to know the staff better and building relationships,” Copenhaver said.