Burchell High principal leaves post

WASILLA — Burchell High School principal and 2015 National Principal of the Year finalist Adam Mokelke will no longer serve as a principal at the school.

Mokelke will remain an employee with the Mat-Su Borough school system, but has stepped away from his current post. School officials cited personnel and personal issues as the reason for the departure, but declined to elaborate further, citing employee privacy concerns. Mokelke’s status changed in mid-November without announcement on the part of the school system, though Facebook posts for the borough’s 333-student alternative high school began omitting Mokelke from announcements at around that time. Assistant principal Jason Marvel was appointed interim principal effective Nov. 30, according to school system executive director of human resources Catherine Gardner.

Employee matters are confidential, Gardner said.

“He will be continuing in employment in another capacity,” she said. “There’s not a lot of detail I can share with you.”

Mokelke won’t serve as principal at any other schools, but remains eligible for other administrative openings within the school system, Gardner said.

Marvel will take over for the remainder of the year. Marvel has been an employee of the school system for 17 years, and a teacher and coach at Wasilla High School, Colony Middle School, and Palmer High School, according to school district spokeswoman Catherine Esary. He came aboard as assistant principal at Burchell in spring 2015.

Marvel has also been featured in the Frontiersman for his work with the Freedom Writers alongside Wasilla High School teacher Deb Haynes, and in 2009 helped publish “Teaching Hope: Stories from the Freedom Writer Teachers.” He was named the 2014 Wasilla Sunrise Rotary Teacher of the Year, and was nominated for the 2010 Alaska Teacher of the Year Award.

Marvel holds degrees from the University of Wyoming, Walden University in Minneapolis, Minnesota; and National University in La Jolla, California. He received his principal certification from the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Marvell said he is excited for the opportunity.

“I was here and I was an assistant principal and I was really excited,” he said. “We do great things.”

Burchell contains three different education models under one roof, ranging from more casual environments to business-like models involving cubicles and e-learning. Programs are designed to bolster educational opportunities for students who face difficult situations at home.

“Some of our students have some challenges to overcome in their lives, so we have a lot of wraparound services we provide,” Marvel said.

He said he was grateful officials gave him a shot.

“The district has faith in my ability to lead a school and I’m real appreciative,” he said. “I’m just really excited about the kids.”

Reached via Facebook, Mokelke declined comment for this story.

Contact reporter Brian O’Connor at 352-2270, brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com, or on Twitter @reporterbriano.