Seven teachers and principals retired from the Snoqualmie Valley School District at the end of the school year, most of them leaving the district’s elementary schools.

Opstad Elementary School lost three staff members, Principal John Jester, and teachers Ileen O’Leary-Kirshner and Gena Meyer. Amy Wright, currently the principal at Stillwater Elementary School near Carnation, has been named the new Opstad principal.

North Bend Elementary had two retirements, P.E. teacher Alan Tepper, and Kindergarten teacher Andrea Stein.

Marcia Scott, a teacher at Mount Si High School, retired this year, as did Tom Athanases, who served as principal of Two Rivers School for 24 years before transferring to the Snoqualmie Valley School District Office last fall to take on the role of alternative program planning coordinator for the district.

Several schools will see other staff changes, as well.

Jake Hammons and Katelyn Irwin, both teachers at Fall City Elementary School, left the school at the end of their one-year replacement contracts. Hammons took a role at Stillwater Elementary School.

Several teachers left Opstad Elementary School to teach at other schools within the district, part of the staff re-allocation called for in the district’s expenditure reduction plan approved by the school board April 26. Opstad has seen the greatest declines in student enrollment in recent years.

Cori Pflug-Tilton, principal at Snoqualmie Elementary School, is leaving the district to become the principal of Wenatchee’s Sunnyslope Elementary School.

Katie Darst is leaving Snoqualmie Middle School after two years of teaching there.

Matt Wenman, music teacher at Twin Falls Middle School, is taking an educational leave of absence from the district. He plans to attend a two-year continuing education program at Central Washington University.

Learn more about the Snoqualmie Valley School District at http://www.svsd410.org/