The retirement of Superintendent Jon Abrams from School District 351 has been on the calendar ever since he started in the position, more or less.  When initially hired, Abrams indicated that he planned to retire at the end of this school year, and that end is fast approaching.

As we recently reported, current MHS principal Dallan Rupp has been hired to serve as the new Superintendent, which created a cascade of new assignments within the district.  

Robert Hannah, who has served in many positions in the district over the last 37 years including Lunch Services supervisor, counselor, and principal of the elementary and middle schools, will be taking over for Rupp at the high school.

Joshua Smith, currently the AD and Vice Principal at MHS, will be moving into the principalship at the Middle School.

Robert Hannah

Robert Hannah is a “move-in” in the sense that he wasn’t born here.  But by any other metric, Hannah has been a stalwart of the community for decades.  Since finishing his original degree at Idaho State University, Hannah has spent 37 years in the education field, 35 of it here in Oneida County.  In addition to his current role as the principal of Malad Middle School, Hannah has also served as the principal of Malad Elementary and the Stone School, as well as school counselor, and even Lunch Services director.

“The people they have in place now are amazing, and they are the ones who know what they’re doing,” Hannah said.  “They were probably glad to get me out of the kitchen, or at least away from the budget.  We ate well,” he laughed.

There are not very many individuals in the world of education who have such a depth and breadth of experience within such a consistent area.  Over his years of service, Hannah has seen firsthand a remarkable array of issues affecting education in all of its area--administrators, teachers, staff, and of course students.  Through the years of observation, he is well-positioned to effectively move into the high school arena with a good sense of what the current hurdles as well as strengths are.

Obviously, funding in the district will continue to be an issue.  “A few years ago, we had a lot more flexibility,” Hannah said.  “But it’s a different situation now.”  The separation of IHLA from the other district schools in conjunction with moves to change the way funding is determined by the legislature at the end of last session have resulted in a tighter belt than in previous years.

It’s a challenge that Hannah is ready to tackle.   He is also committed to making sure that extracurricular programs, as well as athletics, continue to be supported and championed by the school at an administrative level.  In addition to those elements of the high school experience, Hannah is also excited about some of the workforce training and college preparation classes offered by the High School, all of which will become a part of his administrative purview.

“I’m excited to be working with Josh.  He came into a situation with excellent people already in place.  He’s clearly the future of education, but he made it clear that he felt he belonged at the middle school, and I’m excited about jumping into this new job.  It’s an honor, and I’m very grateful—not many people get the opportunity to do this.”

As Hannah looks forward to the future, he notes, “I’ve had a lot of fun here, and a lot of jobs, and they’ve all been good.  I’m definitely looking forward to this next one!”

Hannah and his wife Paula live in Malad, where his children Bobby, Ryan, Heidi, and Hallie were raised.

Josh Smith

Smith grew up in the Lehi, Utah area when it was a lot smaller.  “So, I grew up around horses, pigs, sheep, and being outdoors,” he noted.  Lehi has grown a lot since he graduated from school there, and returning to a smaller town is one of the reasons he was happy to land in Malad after teaching in Idaho Falls.  

While serving in an administrative capacity at MHS, Smith has gotten to know the area and the kids.  His response has been very positive.  

“I’ve been—and this will sound weird—but I’ve been really surprised by just how good the kids are, how classy and how well-behaved.  I’ve been really impressed.”

The middle school has performed at a high level during Hannah’s tenure, and Smith is clear he wants to continue the success during his own.  Attendance was reported at 93% for the recent term, and academic success has corresponded.  A set of principles using the acronym ARMOR Up! has been in place for years at MMS, and it is a blueprint for the future as well.  It stands for Authentic, Responsible, Motivated, Optimistic, and Respectful.

While everything involved in the new job will likely keep him very busy in the coming months and years, Smith also plans to maximize his down town.  “I like fishing and hunting, though to be fair I’m not very good at either of them.  I love to read, hike, watch movies, and mostly, whatever it is I like to involve my kids.”  Smith feels like Malad is a perfect place to work on raising his two boys (who he acknowledges can be a bit rough and tumble) and two girls (who he acknowledges are not).  He and his wife Emily have already come to love the area, he said. 

As he plans to start next year, Smith’s priority is on “meeting with the staff to figure out what works, and what is best for the kids.”  He comes into the position with a very experienced staff already in place, and a supportive group of teachers to work with.  It also helps that soon-to-be-former middle school principal Hannah will be literally a stone’s throw away.

“I think Bob is a phenomenal administrator, and I don’t want to jump in and make a bunch of changes.  That’s the nerve-wracking part—I want to make sure we keep all the good things going that are working so well.  I’ll be talking to Principal Hannah a lot in the upcoming months, to be sure.  I hope to learn quickly, but I admit I don’t know everything about how it’s worked so far.”