Ciez says goodbye to Pablo Elementary
Berl Tiskus
Frank Ciez, who has worked for Ronan Schools for nearly 40 years, is retiring at the end of the school year after serving as principal at Pablo Elementary School.
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.
PABLO — It’s the season for graduations, hirings and retirements in schools around the Mission Valley, and Principal Frank Ciez at Pablo Elementary School will be retiring.
“One of the things we’ve tried to do here is create a caring and sharing environment where all the kids are valued,” Ciez said. “I just want to stress what a great staff and a great school we have. Everybody works as hard as they can.”
Kids can go to school safely, enjoy their time, feel respected and be comfortable at Pablo Elementary School.
Routines are important to eliminate chaos during the school day.
“Yes, we go to lunch, but we line up to go to lunch. Yes, the teachers expect students to work, but they are there to help,” he said.
Ciez has served as Pablo’s principal for 10 years; before that he was vice-principal and athletic director at Ronan High School for a decade. He first came to the Ronan-Pablo District in 1976 when he was hired to teach sixth grade. He had 33 students in a small classroom — so small it was hard to walk through the aisles. Ciez also coached football in his early years with RHS.
At a recent RHS school board meeting, outgoing chair Mark Clary talked about Ciez.
“Frank came to this district 38 years ago, about the time I was in middle school. He’s a good man,” Clary said, with a teary-eyed pause. “A lot of you young kids sitting here probably don’t know that he was probably one of the best football coaches that this school has ever had, hands down. He’s done a little bit of everything in this district. Thanks, Frank.”
Superintendent Andy Holmlund also had some thoughts about Ciez.
“Frank was a teacher of mine. He was a coach of mine. He is a colleague ...,” he said.
“Frank, you have done an amazing job for the students, staff, parents, grandparents at Pablo Elementary School. You’ve put in a decade of heart.”
Since Ciez started teaching, he said the needs of kids now are much greater, emotionally and educationally.
“Technology has made a huge impact on what we do,” he said.
While he doesn’t think Pablo will ever be on the cutting edge of technology, Ciez said kids need to have an opportunity to work with technology.
“We have iPads, iPods, we test on the computer,” he said, adding that he encourages Salish Kootenai College to help train Pablo Elementary teachers in new technology.
Ciez grew up in Seattle, attended Everett Community College, Everett, Wash., and then Carroll College. For his administrative credentials, Ciez and a group of folks from the Mission Valley traveled to and from the University of Montana during the summer.
“We had a lot of good conversations (during car time) and learned a lot from each other,” Ciez said.
“One of the things I strive to be here is visible. I try to learn all the kids’ names, and meet and greet the parents,” Ciez said.
It’s so important when a kid walks in the door that someone greets and says good morning or how are you doing, he said.
Holmlund recognized Ciez’s commitment. “You’re at every recess duty, you’re in every classroom multiple times a day. You are what we hope to be as an instructional leader, so my hat is off to you,” he said at a recent board meeting.
Ciez will be trading his principal hat for his grandfather hat since plans for retirement include spending more time with his four grandchildren.
“I’m also going to reacquaint myself with my fishing pole,” he said, grinning.
