New year, new leaders
Klamath County School District welcomes 11 new administrators this fall. Some are new to the district and others are familiar faces but taking on new leadership roles. Please welcome them to your school community!
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Helena DeJong
HELENA DEJONG, vice principal, Henley High
Helena DeJong, the new vice principal at Henley High School, has spent 23 years teaching chemistry at Henley and 14 years coaching volleyball.
In 2021, she was among eight Klamath County School District staff members honored with a Crystal Apple Award for her work inspiring students and readying them for success.
"I want to continue the tradition of excellence that has been established at Henley,” DeJong said of her new leadership role with the Hornets. Outside of work, DeJong enjoys renovating homes and working in her yard.
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Francesca Grounds
FRANCESCA GROUNDS, principal, Malin Elementary
Francesca Grounds, the new principal at Malin Elementary, is no stranger to the community. She taught sixth-grade at Malin for four years and most recently was the school’s interventionist, focusing on providing targeted support to students who needed additional help to succeed.
Grounds began her career as a substitute teacher and after-school instructor for the Klamath Falls City Schools. She then took a position with Klamath County School District, teaching fifth- and sixth-grades at Bonanza Elementary before teaching at Malin Elementary School.
“My goals as an administrator are to define and communicate rigorous academic standards and learning outcomes for each grade level and to foster positive relationships with staff, students, and community to enhance the overall school environment,” she said. “As a member of the Malin community, I am passionate and dedicated to ensuring that our students get the best educational experience.”
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Ian O'Brien
IAN O'BRIEN, vice principal/athletic director, Mazama High School
Ian O’Brien, the new vice principal/athletic director at Mazama, has been an educator since 2009 and an athletic director since 2011.
A college football player (Eastern Oregon, 2004-2008), he began his education career in 2009 as a government, economics, personal finance, and weights teacher at Warrenton High School. After two years, he was promoted to athletic director and was awarded 3A Athletic Director Rookie of the Year. He has been head football coach, assistant basketball coach, head golf coach, and middle school basketball coach.
In 2015, he was hired as athletic director and vice principal at Lakeridge High School in Lake Oswego, Ore., where he led 28 competitive athletic and activity programs with more than 100 coaches in the Three Rivers League.
In 2017, O’Brien and his family returned to Warrenton, where he again was athletic director/vice principal as well as head football coach. During the next seven years, he helped the school improve its ninth-grade on-track graduation rate from 30% to 90%. He also was named Athletic Director of the Year for small schools (3A/2A/1A) in 2021, and in 2022 was awarded the NIAAA (National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association) Award of Merit (Athletic Director of the Year award).
“I love athletics and love working with students,” he said. “My hope is to have a positive impact on the kids and provide them with memorable experiences. My goals this year include establishing relationships with students, staff, and community partners to find ways to improve and grow all aspects of our programs here. Our Principal Jennifer Hawkins and Vice Principal Sergio Cisneros have a great vision in what they want Mazama to be and I am fired up to help support them.”
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J.B. Chandler
J.B. CHANDLER, vice principal/athletic director, Lost River Jr/Sr High School
J.B. Chandler, the new vice principal/athletic director at Lost River Jr/Sr High School, is new not only to Klamath County, but to Oregon.
For the past year, he was superintendent and 7th-12th-grade school principal in Sheridan, Montana. Prior to that, he worked for four years as a math teacher and athletic director in Philipsburg, Mont.
Chandler started his education career in Las Vegas, where he taught for two years before he and his wife moved back to his home state of Montana and spent nearly 10 years running a bowling alley in Shelby. He then returned to education.
“My goals include building and fostering the student-athlete culture already here at Lost River,” he said. “I also look forward to having more 'good cop' interactions this year with my return to being an athletic director.”
Chandler also is a freelance writer, publishing his work in magazines, and self-publishing a Montana travel guide, “The Old Road to Glacier.” He enjoys hiking, photography, writing, and video games.
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Melissa Nixon
MELISSA NIXON, vice principal, Gearhart School
Long-time educator Melissa Nixon has been hired as vice principal of Gearhart, returning to the school in Bly where she attended first- through eighth-grade.
Nixon has been with Klamath County School District since January 2006, when she was hired as a kindergarten teacher at Stearns Elementary School. She worked in kindergarten for eight years before moving to fifth-grade for five years. For the last several years, Nixon has taught sixth-grade and project-based learning at Ferguson Elementary.
“Gearhart holds a special place in my heart,” Nixon said. “I am excited to be back in the school that helped shape me into the person I am now. My goal as an administrator is to guide, encourage, and support each and every student in their journey to realizing their full potential." Nixon is mother to two “amazing sons,” Clayton and Mason.
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Kathleen Todd
KATHLEEN TODD, principal, Henley Middle School
Kathleen Todd will be principal at Henley Middle School this year, taking the reins from Kristine Creed, who is retiring.
Todd, a long-time educator, has served as vice principal at Henley High School for the past three years. Before taking an administrative position, she taught German at Mazama High School. She has lived in Klamath Falls most of her life and loves the community.
“My passion is to provide quality education in a safe and fun environment,” she said. “At Henley Middle, we believe that anybody can learn anything, and we are committed to helping students become a HERO: Hornets Excelling, Rising, Overcoming.
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J.P. Richards
J.P. RICHARDS, principal, Gilchrist School
J.P. Richards, a long-time educator and administrator, is the new principal at Gilchrist School, heading up the leadership team for the K-12 school community. He is joined by current high school vice principal Donald Scott and new elementary vice principal Heather Bond.
Richards is coming to Gilchrist from the Medford School District. He has been in education for 26 years, starting his career as a Spanish teacher before moving into administration and serving as an administrator at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels. He also has been an ELD director and human resource director at the district level.
“My goals are to create an environment conducive to learning and a place where all want to be,” he said. “I love education and love working with families to better the educational experience of their students.”
Richards has six children and two grandchildren.
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Jana Dunlea
JANA DUNLEA, principal, Lost River Jr/Sr High School
Jana Dunlea, new principal at Lost River Jr/Sr High School, is taking the reins from Angie Wallin, who retired in June after 30 years with the district.
For the past five years, Dunlea has been vice principal and principal at Ferguson Elementary School. Before becoming an administrator, she taught elementary students at all grade levels for 20 years at various schools throughout the district. She also has coached volleyball, basketball, and track at Lost River.
“I have high expectations for teaching and learning,” Dunlea said. “I hope to continue to grow the strong traditions at Lost River and incorporate activities that boost school spirit and pride in our school. Mostly, I want to support teachers, advisors, and coaches so our students demonstrate excellence in all they do.”
Dunlea was born and raised in Merrill and graduated from Lost River in 1993. She now lives in Malin with her family. Her two youngest sons are currently Lost River students and her husband coaches at the school. She speaks Spanish well enough to communicate with parents and students but does not consider herself bilingual.
“I love these communities and am excited to serve the students and families of South County,” she said.
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Heidi Friend
HEIDI FRIEND, principal, Ferguson Elementary School
Heidi Friend, the new principal at Ferguson Elementary, has worked in education for the past 15 years at both the elementary and collegiate levels.
She started her career in California before moving back to Klamath Falls, where she worked as a teacher at Ferguson Elementary. She has been with the Klamath County School District for nearly 10 years, working at a teacher, administrator, and coach. She has worked not only at Ferguson, but also at Merrill, Malin, and Gearhart.
“My goals for this year are to establish positive relationships with students, staff, and parents of Ferguson, as well as the wider community, to create a welcoming and collaborative school environment,” Friend said. “I also want to continue to support the work that has been done at Ferguson to improve student outcomes and boost student learning.”
And if you ever want to know what it’s like being left-handed in a right-handed world, ask Friend. She adds: “I am left handed and can sometimes get passionate about how the world is not made for left handed people. If you ever want to talk about it, let me know!”
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Michael Hofmann
MICHAEL HOFMANN, vice principal/athletic director, Chiloquin Jr/Sr High
Michael Hofmann moved to Klamath County from Salem to take the reins of vice principal/athletic director at Chiloquin Jr/Sr High School.
For the last six years, Hofmann taught at North Salem High School in Salem. Before that he was a science teacher at Sprague High School and also taught at Santiam in Mill City. Education, however, was not Hofmann’s first career.
“I was a grocery clerk turned manager, pizza restaurant kitchen worker turned manager, and then worked in the medical field before going back to school to get my teaching degree,” he said. “My goal is to see success for the students of Chiloquin both in class and on the field or court – and learn as much as I can so I can do an even better job for students next year.”
Hofmann is married to wife Reann. They have three adult children: Breanna, 21, a preschool teacher; Mikey, 20 in September, a stay at home son; and Nick, 18, who will start classes at Oregon Tech in biology-health sciences this fall. The family enjoys kayaking, hunting, fishing, camping, and just about anything outdoors.
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HEATHER BOND, elementary vice principal, Gilchrist School
Heather Bond will join the Gilchrist School leadership team this year as the elementary vice principal. Bond has worked at Gilchrist School since December 2021, most recently as a Title I teacher.
She has 24 years of experience in elementary teaching, both in the classroom and as a mentor supporting teachers.
“My journey as an educator has fueled a genuine passion for teaching, and I am dedicated to positively impacting every student's life,” Bond said. “My mission is to maximize individual academic growth, inspire students, and provide unwavering support to teachers as they implement essential tools in their classrooms.”
Bond started her education career as a first- and second-grade teacher at West Ada School District in Idaho. In 2014, after earning a master’s degree in education leadership, she taught second grade and worked a principal internship. She moved to Oregon in 2021 and worked as a kindergarten teacher in Bend before moving to Gilchrist School.
One of her proudest accomplishments was founding and developing an after-school STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Club at Willow Creek Elementary in Idaho. By the end of the year, the program had 70 students participating and the support of parent volunteers.
In Gilchrist and Idaho, she has served on various committees, including the Priority Standards, Standing Instructional Resource, and RTI committees.
“I am excited to bring my knowledge and experiences to Gilchrist Elementary School and contribute to the continued success of our students and staff,” she said.
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