Perry named new school superintendent at Arlee

In just five years Mike Perry was able to make a lasting impact in the small rural community of Hot Springs as the school district’s superintendent.

He brought national-scale programs to the students and gave opportunities for them to open their minds on what is really possible in their own lives. But Perry felt like his time of effectiveness in Hot Springs was coming to an end and jumped at a new, welcoming opportunity to take over the role of superintendent in the larger Arlee district.

Perry discovered he had a passion for educating kids when he came back to Montana to help coach track and field one summer during his college years. He enjoyed working with the students and it inspired him to pursue his current career as superintendent.

“I think one of the main reasons I like education is, number one, being around kids all the time; I enjoy it,” Perry said. “And I think number two is just the fact that every day is different.”

The seasoned superintendent started his career in Chester, Montana. He then moved to Washington for 10 years where he served as principal, and then also as superintendent for four of those years. Upon accepting the job at Hot Springs, Perry and his wife, who are both originally from the Great Falls area, were ecstatic about returning to Montana.

Perry said he came back to the treasure state with far more experience than he left with, which helped him succeed greatly at Hot Springs over the last five years.

“I really came into the job with the idea that I’m here for kids,” Perry said.

He further explained that students cannot choose where they go to school, therefore making it important to cater to each child individually whenever possible. After growing up in Great Falls where Perry didn’t feel like the staff really noticed him as more than just a number, he moved to Conrad for his final years of high school. At the school there, he remembered feeling for the first time like teachers and administrators actually cared about him and his ideas. This is something he continues to carry with him as he serves students daily.

“Our job (as educators) is to make sure the kids understand that this is a place for them; it’s a place where they can feel safe, they can feel secure, they feel cared about…” he said.

This concept served as a sort of guiding philosophy for Perry going forward.

While serving the students at Hot Springs he made it a goal to bring outstanding opportunities to the school, which resulted in numerous kids’ minds opening up to new possibilities.

In his first couple of years he brought a program to the school called F1 in Schools Stem Challenge. The students would design and build small Co2 cartridge powered cars, mainly using a 3D printer, and race them against other school’s designs. The Hot Springs team qualified for nationals, which sent them to Austin, Texas to compete.

Perry also implemented a program in which students worked with NASA and collected data from Hot Springs. The students were able to travel to Ireland to present their findings, which is an opportunity that many of them would never have otherwise.

“So we have those kids that got to see a much bigger world than they ever would have here in Hot Springs,” Perry said.

Also after serving many rural communities, Perry believes it is important to instill in kids that they can have a global impact even coming from a small town. Last year the creative superintendent organized and hosted an environmental symposium, and during the event he demonstrated that anyone can call congressional representatives to voice their opinions.

“There’s no reason that they can’t come from Hot Springs and go do amazing things in big places, and not be afraid of it,” Perry said. “I’ve just tried to focus on making sure that they have opportunities to see what’s out there.”

Moving to Arlee will also be beneficial to Perry in his personal life.

He recently started teaching a few college classes online and looks forward to being closer to Missoula and the university campus. Perry and his wife, Jodie, have a hobby ranch with 10 longhorn cows which they plan to continue doing after the move.

The couple has four grown boys that have moved out and one soon-to-be first grader. Perry enjoys working with kids at the school all day and then returning to relax on his rural property by night. He also is passionate about restoring cars and his 1968 Thunderbird is his favorite project to work on.

As Perry moves his family to Arlee, he is eager for an abundance of new experiences and the opportunity to touch the hearts of many kids.

“I’m just really excited to get there and get going, and having a new adventure,” he said.

Reporter Whitney England may be reached at 758-4419 or wengland@dailyinterlake.com