Decorah High School's Interim Dean of Students is getting the "Interim" label removed

Decorah High School's Dean of Students position has worked so well at the school that the school district is removing the "Interim" title from David Waskow's job description.

Waskow has been working at the high school since January 13th, working with Principal Kim Sheppard and Activities Director Adam Riley to handle the supervision of the school.  Waskow's job, say Sheppard and Riley, has been to do "triage" with students at the school--making sure any minor disciplinary problems such as tardiness or absences are handled before more major discipline such as suspensions are needed.

Being Dean of Students "is something I always wanted to try," Waskow told decorahnews.com.  He was a teacher for 33 years before retiring recently, but jumped at the chance to be a Dean of Students--even with a daily commute to and from Sumner.  He says every kid is different, so you have to work with kids and be pro-active to intervene before punishment is needed.

Waskow says he has been "very pleased" with the cooperation he has gotten from students, parents and teachers.  Sheppard and Riley praise the work he has done, with Sheppard saying "We have a great working relationship."

Having Waskow handle the daily duties of student supervision has lightened the workloads of Sheppard and Riley and has allowed them to tackle special programs and curricula.  That will be especially important heading int the next school year, when seven new teachers will begin work at the high school.