STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
Robert “Rob” Ditch has been named the next principal of Wood River Middle School.
Ditch has been serving as interim principal since former principal Fritz Peters was tasked with serving as the acting superintendent following the departure of GwenCarol Holmes seven months ahead of schedule. Before that he served as vice principal for 11 years.
Ditch also served as an elementary school principal in the state of Washington.
Incoming Superintendent Jim Foudy, who will assume his post July 1, helped choose Ditch as he works to build a new leadership team for the Blaine County School District.
“Mr. Ditch brings a wealth of experience and knowledge specific to the school and is eager to support the staff and students as we move forward together into the 2021-22 school year,” said Foudy.
At WRMS, Ditch has overseen building operations, emergency planning, academic interventions, student behavior systems and staff supervision, evaluation and hiring. He has also co-facilitated the school’s study abroad program and helped develop a sister school program with Gredos San Diego Cooperativo of Madrid, Spain.
“It’s such a rich experience across the board,” Ditch said earlier this year. “Some of the kids come back talking about the food; some, the beaches they visited. Others have even talked about how their host family took care of them when they got sick. They have an amazing tapestry of experiences. Students who don’t speak Spanish at home, usually take a huge step forward in their comprehension of the language through the experience. They come back with a fresh willingness to speak out. They have a command of the language they didn’t before.”
In addition to his experience as a principal and vice principal, Ditch has served as a coordinator for student success, dean of students, athletic director and activity coordinator.
He began his career in education as a social studies teacher at Central Kitsap Junior High School in Silverdale, Wash. Ditch holds a master of education degree in educational technology from City University of Seattle and a bachelor’s degree in English from Central Washington University. He also holds an education specialist degree from Boise State University.
Ditch said he's looking forward to working with the new superintendent to put the stress and uncertainty of this year behind and to move the district forward.
"Wood River Middle School is a great school with a great staff and amazing students. I am honored to have been named as its next principal," he said.