Meet the Principal

  • For those of you I have not had the pleasure of meeting yet, my name is Reese Ande. I have been in the education field for 25 years, ten of which were spent teaching first and fourth grade and the final three were spent as the Assistant Principal at Kingston High School. In 2010 I was fortunate enough to be chosen as the principal of Blakely Elementary. Blakely is an amazing school with an amazing staff and community.

    I am the proud father of my daughter, Grace. Grace is currently a junior at WSU and upon completion plans to attend law school. My wife, Elizabeth, is an Art teacher at Bainbridge High School and a past graduate. We currently reside in a small farm house located on the North end of the island. My hobbies include fishing, hunting, skiing, and backpacking or just about anything that takes place in the outdoors. I am happiest miles away from the nearest road.


    My teaching career started in a unique way that provided me a variety of experiences that broadened my skill base as well as my cultural understanding. Adventure has always been a part of my life and so it was fitting that my career started with an adventure. My first job as a teacher took place in a small Yupik village located in Western Alaska. Aniak had a population of 600 and was only accessible by plane. The elementary school I taught in had one classroom per grade level and a principal that was in charge of three schools. Our modes of transportation involved a 4-wheeler in the summer and a snowmachine in the winter. With 20 hours of light in the summer I could often be found mowing my lawn at midnight or silver fishing at 2 in the morning.  It was the arrival of Grace that led us to return to Bainbridge to be closer to family.

     

    Working with children has always been my passion and is what keeps me motivated and driven to provide students with an educational experience that prepares them to be successful citizens in a global society. My goal is to challenge your children intellectually, grow them socially, and guide them toward independent thinking and problem solving.

     

    I am looking forward to many years at Blakely!

     

    Reese Ande