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Posts Tagged ‘Longview’

Break the bank for Shank!!

Posted in Administration, tagged , , , , , on February 23, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Dr. Jim Shank, enjoying a moment of Zen in the CHS gym while sitting beneath his beloved “Sad Coyote” painting. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The biggest potential free agent on the market is still out there, Cow Town. Get this thing done!

As the Coupeville School District conducts a superintendent search, no name delivers the same pizazz as Dr. Jim Shank.

And now, with the Longview School District choosing a different candidate Friday to fill its own open position, the dapper doctor could be back in play for a return to Whidbey Island.

Dr. Karen Cloninger, who is coming from Spokane, was chosen over two other finalists who both graduated from Longview-area schools — Shank and John Hannah.

So now the buzz gets going again.

Does Dr. Shank remain with the North Beach School District in Grays Harbor County?

Or will he consider bouncing back to reclaim the top seat in a Coupeville School District he led to great success from 2013-2018?

Will the lure of “The Sad Coyote” bring him back to Cow Town??

I’m asking you, for I do not know the answer.

School board members are notoriously tight-lipped and ultra-professional about stuff like this, and I haven’t been able to electronically bug all the district offices … yet.

But I know what I want, and that’s to see the man who gave us a new stadium, a new track oval, and both new bleachers and the Wall of Fame in the gym, come ambling back down Main Street.

Only time will tell how this story plays out, but I got a crisp fiver here to help sweeten the pot.

Don’t go for a single or try to leg out a double, Coupeville. Swing for the fences on this one.

Break the bank (if need be) for Shank!

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Shank finalist for Longview superintendent gig

Posted in Not sports? Tough!, tagged , , , , , on February 19, 2024| 1 Comment »

Dr. Jim Shank and daughter Ashlie hang out at a game during their Cow Town days. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Popular former Coupeville Superintendent Dr. Jim Shank is one of three finalists for a similar position with the Longview School District.

The district, located in Cowlitz County, sits in the Southwestern portion of Washington state and is infamous for being where I was born.

The Longview School Board announced its finalists this past Saturday and issued a statement pledging to choose a new superintendent Friday, Feb. 23.

A report in the local newspaper, The Daily News, details that Shank, Dr. Karen Cloninger, and John Hannah will participate in community forums Tuesday-Thursday at R.A. Long High School.

Cloninger is the assistant superintendent of East Valley School District in Spokane Valley, while Hannah is superintendent of the Morton School District.

Shank, who recently received a long-overdue induction into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame, is an R.A. Long graduate, a distinction he shares with Hannah.

During his time in Cow Town between 2013-2018, Shank oversaw construction of Coupeville’s stadium, its track oval, and new bleachers in the CHS gym.

He also played a large role in the creation of the school’s Wall of Fame, basically allowing me to run free if I agreed to retain the giant mural of “The Sad Coyote.”

“The Sad Coyote” sees all and knows all. He is eternal.

Two of the six Shank children, Matt and Brian, graduated from CHS, with a third, Ashlie, attending multiple years.

All three were successful athletes and strong students.

After leaving Coupeville, Shank was a superintendent in Idaho.

He and wife Sallie later returned to Washington state, as he currently leads the North Beach School District in Grays Harbor County.

Overall, Shank has 33 years of experience in education, with 15 as a superintendent.

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