La Conner Schools officials took a scientific approach with their selection of a new elementary principal.
Marcus Knowles, a former Sedro-Woolley School District administrator with a science teaching background, was formally welcomed by school board members at their May 19 meeting.
Knowles, now a K-3 Intervention Specialist with the Burlington-Edison School District, will officially begin his new role here on July 1, succeeding Heather Fakkema-Hovde as principal of La Conner Elementary School.
Knowles, who previously taught elementary science and robotics in the Anacortes School District, couldn’t have timed his initial La Conner School Board meeting any better. The agenda included a presentation by middle school science teacher Vince Cicotte and students Wes Whiteaker and Parker Fischer on their recent participation in a Science Olympiad event.
“I see a lot of really neat things happening in La Conner,” Knowles told the board afterward. “I’m thrilled to be here.”
Knowles earned a master’s degree in Elementary Education from City University of Seattle and obtained his administrative credential from Western Washington University.
He was a Career and Technology Education (CTE) teacher in the Marysville School District between 2010 and 2017. Knowles taught from 2017 to 2022 in Anacortes, where in addition to his role as an elementary science specialist he taught kindergarten, served as an administrative intern, and was Dean of Students.
In 2022, Knowles accepted an elementary school assistant principal position with the Sedro-Woolley School District.
He was introduced to the La Conner community at a May 8 public forum in the elementary school commons area. At that time Knowles was identified as the finalist for the La Conner Elementary opening.
During that local meet-and-greet, Knowles cited his energy and listening skills as areas of professional strength. He said a current area of interest is research related to literacy.
Knowles said he embraces a collaborative leadership style based on building relationships, including forging community partnerships on key initiatives.
Knowles alluded to the innovative “Science to Go” project he oversaw in Anacortes during the COVID-19 pandemic. It received funding through the Anacortes Schools Foundation (ASF) as well as private and business donors, making possible the distribution of science education kits to the district’s elementary students, who were then relying upon on-line and remote instruction.
Additionally, ASF volunteers masked up and spent many hours assembling the “Science to Go” kits.
“What makes a school thrive,” Knowles said at the La Conner forum, “is the relationships you make. It’s very important to partner with the community.”
“You want to bring people to the table purposefully,” he added.
Fakkema-Hovde is completing her sixth year as La Conner Elementary Principal, a tenure launched just prior to the pandemic. She submitted her resignation earlier this year but has not yet publicly disclosed her future plans.
Bill Reynolds: bill@laconnercommunitynews.org. Bill is a general assignment reporter who covers Town government, schools, and spot news.
