La Pine Middle School gets interim principal

Robi Phinney, the current vice principal at La Pine Middle School, was recently named to serve as the interim principal at the school. She will begin her new position July 1.

Phinney has served as the vice principal at La Pine Middle School for one year. Prior to that, she spent 10 years in the classroom, primarily working at Pine Ridge Elementary School in Bend.

“I love the middle school setting. I appreciate our teachers’ passion and commitment to our students,” said Phinney. She believes developing relationships with students and parents is key at the middle school level and fostering those relationships is something she is deeply committed to.

Phinney is currently working on her doctorate and is studying how to improve graduation rates by starting at the middle school level. This focus is something she believes will translate well into her new role as principal.

Ryan Sticka will join Phinney at La Pine Middle School to serve as that school’s Dean of Students. Sticka comes from the Amity School District in Oregon.

Phinney replaces Jim Boen, who will oversee middle school instruction in the district and continue in his role as South County Administrator.

In other news, Michael Franklin, a teacher and administrative intern at Summit High School, will become an assistant principal at Mountain View High School.