The Intermediate School Has a New Principal!

Current North Marion Middle School Co-Principal David Sheldon will be filling the Intermediate School Principal position that Cory Gaub will be vacating by the end of this school year.

“While I love the middle level, I am thrilled to work alongside the staff at the Intermediate School and to support staff and students as they continue to create academic success,” said Sheldon, who has been a principal at the Middle School since 2014. “My experiences at the middle level, especially at North Marion Middle School, will always be in my heart and I am ready to transfer my experiences — with excitement.”

Co-Principal Tami Badinger will continue to lead the Middle School, and we will be looking for an Associate Principal to take David’s place. 

These leadership changes will be happening within a few weeks. Gaub has accepted a job as the principal of Chief Charlo Elementary School at Missoula County Public Schools, a K–12 school district. His last day will be on June 30, and on July 1, Sheldon will begin his first day on the job.

“David’s intelligence, enthusiasm, willingness to collaborate with colleagues, and understanding of the power of empathetic teaching all combine to make him a unique and gifted school administrator,” North Marion Superintendent Ginger Redlinger said. “Having such a strong leader with such a depth of knowledge and experience has been a boon to our Middle School, and we are so proud that he will continue to be an incredible asset to our School District as the leader of the Intermediate School.”

After 23 years and many roles in the education field, Sheldon possesses a broad spectrum of experiences throughout the education field that not only give him so much to offer a school but shape him as a leader and teacher.

“I am an educator who values diversity, respect, rigor, systematic planning, collaboration, and positive school culture,” he said.

But how did he begin his career? Sheldon earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature/Letters from the University of Oregon. Then, he entered the education field as both a wrestling coach and an instructional assistant in a split Special Education/English Language Development (ELD) class at Sunset High School in the Beaverton School District. 

Having positive experiences with staff and students and working with diverse populations at Sunset “galvanized my interest in teaching,” he said. Yet a teaching role requires more hours in a college classroom.

So Sheldon, who speaks Spanish, enrolled at Portland State University in the Bilingual Teacher Pathway Program and earned his Master of Education. From there, he found a teaching position at Valor Middle School in the Woodburn School District. His hard-working nature and efforts to support all of his students equitably and compassionately earned him a Crystal Apple Award in 2009. 

“Valor is a school well known for working with under-achieving students and propelling their academics through a dual-immersion program,” Sheldon explained.

His experiences at Valor included leading the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports team, acting as a grade-level leader, and serving on the Instructional Leadership Team. Sheldon served as an English Language Arts and Social Studies (ELA/SS) teacher with an ELD focus. After 11 years in that role, Sheldon was asked to be a Teacher On Special Assignment and fill in for an associate principal role. He leaped at the chance. Soon, he discovered a love of leadership, but he found himself in need of more time in a college classroom once again.

Sheldon returned to Portland State and earned his Administrative License, shortly afterward becoming the Principal of Operations at North Marion Middle School. 

“This experience sharpened my ability to serve in a highly efficient manner in the operations realm, yet I missed the world of Teaching and Learning,” Sheldon explained. “When the opportunity to be in a co-principal role emerged four years ago, where I could work alongside staff with an emphasis on teaching and learning, I embraced it. For the next several years, I supported the ELA/SS and Science teams.”

Now, as he steps into his new role at the Intermediate School, he will continue with a leadership style that focuses on improvement through building deep relationships with students and staff.

“I will maintain an emphasis on visible learning and shifting the locus of control to students,” Sheldon explained. “This style also involves creating a positive, safe and loving culture; distributive decision making and collaboration; and positive supports that equip staff to accomplish the work as a unified team.”

So, while the Intermediate School may be losing Gaub, it’s gaining a person with a deep understanding of school processes and an incredible love of making them work fluidly within a team. Sheldon has the experience, and he’s ready to start this July.

To share stories on North Marion, email Communications Specialist Jillian Daley at jillian.daley@nmarion.k12.or.us.