Imbler’s New Superintendent Reflects on the Community
By Garrett Christensen on Friday, August 26th, 2022 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
IMBLER, OR – Another summer break has come and gone. Back to school means new classes, new opportunities and, for some, new administration. Randy Waite has officially begun his year as superintendent of Imbler School district, taking over from interim superintendent Doug Hislop.
Waite’s arrival at Imbler is a new step in a long career of teaching, coaching and education administration. Earning his certification at Eastern Oregon University and starting at his career at Weston McEwen high school in 1994, Waite has worked in a variety of positions across Oregon and Idaho. Some highlights that he shared included Hermiston, Rigby Idaho, a near decade in Ontario Oregon along with both student teaching and full-time teaching in La Grande. His most recent work before returning to the valley was in southern Oregon. He has worked in administration for roughly six years.
Education isn’t just a passion either, but a lineage. As told by Waite: “I grew up in an education family. My dad was a professor at Blue Mountain Community College and my mom was a teacher at the Hermiston school district for a long time before they retired.”
Moving back recently to be closer to his family, Waite said he had long heard about Imbler and the enthusiasm for the school that seemed to emanate from the community, noting “Imbler is exactly what I thought it’d be, a community that loves their schools and supports each other.”
Interviewing and onboarding went smoothly. Speaking with staff, community members and board members during the process, Waite described how the interactions let him learn more about Imbler and the community at the time. Now officially at the helm, Imbler’s new superintendent is looking forward to working with staff and students for the first time, telling Elkhorn, “I’ve heard great things about them and so that’s exciting for me. When the kids come back to school it’ll be exciting to get to know them, support them and hopefully let them reach their full potential.”
Of course, there is still plenty to learn and a lot of people to meet. Waite described how he still sees himself as an outsider to the community and that, though happy that so many students are interested in applying to Imbler, limitations on class sizes means that not everyone can get in, stating, “it’s hard to turn them away.” Nonetheless, the passion and dedication coming from both the Imbler community and the school itself has not gone unnoticed by its newest member, who wants incoming students to know, “Imbler is a great place, most of you know that already but we’re going to try and make it even better and hopefully this will be a great experience for you.”
