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Jim Hanks

Please extend a warm welcome to Mr. Jim Hanks as our new principal.

Hi Ninilchik School and Community,

My name is Jim Hanks, and I am excited to be the Ninilchik School Principal starting in the fall of 2023.

My wife Paulette and I are coming from a small town in Northwestern Colorado, Meeker, where we raised our two sons and lived for the past 15 years. Paulette is a teacher and will be teaching 6th grade at West Homer Elementary. She and I love the outdoors, fishing, hiking, camping and hunting. We are certainly looking forward to all the new opportunities that the Kenai Peninsula has to offer.

In Meeker, I was the principal of Barone Middle School for 14 years. I really enjoyed my time at Barone and found that by teaming up with teachers, students and parents, we had a culture that worked hard and played hard. The dedicated staff and hard-working students earned several state level academic awards. Additionally, Barone was always competitive in sports, even against schools much larger. I bring this up because I see many similarities between Barone and Ninilchik School, and that has me totally thrilled to join the Ninilchik team.

I look forward to getting to know you all. I had the opportunity to visit Ninilchik School and the area in early March with my son Peter. It didn’t take us long to feel drawn to the area due to the beauty and grandeur of the area, and the kind, friendly people we met.

Jim Hanks