The new Superintendent at the Stevensville School District, Bob Moore, must know a little bit about being a school administrator after serving for 22 years as high school principal in the little town of Manhattan, Montana.
“It was a nice town to raise a family in,” said Moore about his long stay in Manhattan where he and his wife Kerri – who currently teaches English and is the librarian at Three Forks public school – raised two kids, Michael and Savannah, now college age. Moore refers to himself as “a farm kid from eastern Oregon” where he was raised. He liked the small town atmosphere and the closeknit community of Manhattan and he expects to enjoy the same sense of community here in Stevensville.
Moore said that he heard quite a bit about Stevensville from Jim Notaro, a former high school principal here who ended up serving as the superintendent at Manhattan for four years after retiring from Stevensville.
“When I saw the position open up here I jumped at the chance,” said Moore.
Moore comes to the job with some experience in music. Although he did play the tuba some in college, he is primarily a trombonist.
“I love music and the fine arts,” said Moore. He said his grandmother was a first generation immigrant from Scotland and he is tempted to take up the bagpipes as well. He also loves the outdoors, and does some hunting and fishing. He said he messes around a bit at tying his own flies.
Although he studied music in Idaho, he got his masters degree in school administration from Montana State University, and then last May he received his doctoral degree there as well.
He is excited about the new job.
“Stevensville has a great reputation and good ratings,” he said. “I’m not going to come in and upset the apple cart.” He said he plans on working closely with the school board and plans on giving academics the top priority.
“I love athletics,” he said, “but academics are a top priority with me. While other activities are important,” he said, “whether it’s the debate team, speech, drama or sports, I want the kids to do well in the classroom first.”
He also noted that Stevensville has made a huge investment in its infrastructure and he plans on maintaining it in good condition.
“Having a good clean school building is important and I plan on being a good steward,” he said.