Davies submits his resignation to WSD

 A longtime Weiser School District teacher and administrator announced his plans to retire at the end of the current school year during the Jan. 13, regular monthly school trustees meeting.

 A 1986 Weiser High School graduate, Dave Davies is one of those “Weiser kids” who chose to come back to Weiser to work and raise his family in his own hometown.

 After graduating from the University of Idaho in 1991, earning a degree in secondary education, with a major in mathematics and minors in coaching and geography, Davies began his teaching career in the Middleton School District 34 years ago, where he spent two years teaching mathematics, along with coaching basketball, cross country, and track.

 When Davies decided to move into school administration he earned a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Northwest Nazarene University in April, 2004.

 In his resignation letter, Davies said, “I loved my time at Middleton, where over the course of two school years I learned a lot about what it means to be a great teacher and coach from individuals who would become lifelong friends.”

 He went on to describe the opportunity to come to work in the Weiser School District in the fall of 1993, alongside teachers and coaches who had influenced him in his own youth.

 “I was blessed to be hired and come back to teach and coach at Weiser High School,” Davies wrote. “Working with my former teachers and coaches was a dream come true. 

 “Over the course of the next 32 years I would teach pre-algebra, applied math, algebra 1, algebra 2, geometry, advanced math, trigonometry, and calculus; and coach basketball, cross-country, and track,” he said. “And, I served as WHS assistant principal, WHS principal, district tech coordinator, academic achievement director, and currently Pioneer School principal, all while raising four incredible kids in the best school district in the state with my wife of 33 years, Holly.”

 Davies told the Signal American he had first met Holly (Jelsing) in 1991, when she was in her second year of teaching at Pioneer School. Although she retired a couple of years ago, since he stepped into the principal’s position there she has willingly returned to the school to fill in temporarily in some teaching spots. In fact, Holly and another former Pioneer teacher, Sydney Barnett, have picked up a team-teaching third-grade opening for the current semester.

 “I have been so blessed to have Holly come out of retirement on three different occasions, to help fill positions at Pioneer,” Davies said. “Her love for teaching and for her students is what makes her the ideal ‘pinch-hitter,’ regardless of the position she is asked to fill.”   

 Davies has continued in his own role as a student throughout his career, something clearly evident in the remaining paragraphs of his resignation notice.

 “When I stop and think about how quickly the years have flown by, I’m encouraged by the memories I’ve made, and the friends who have come, gone, and remain in my life. I will refrain from mentioning because I know I will leave some out. But I am confident when I say that I am the person I am today due in large part to the experiences I have shared with thousands of students, a multitude of coaches, teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, and board members.

 “While I have served in many capacities with a variety of titles attached, the professional titles that mean the most are teacher and coach. The learning I’ve shared with students, athletes, and colleagues is what I will treasure the most. Only when we continue to learn are we truly alive. 

 “With all that being said, and after a great deal of contemplation, I decided it is time for me to try something new. With a sense of reluctance, coupled with a twinge of excitement, I ask you to consider this my letter of resignation from the Weiser School District, effective June 7, 2025.

 “Thank you for the opportunity you have provided me and for allowing me to do the incredibly important work of helping you to educate the young people of Weiser.”

 Respectfully, David Davies

 Anyone noticing couldn’t miss the extra sense of joy and fun in Davies since his taking the principal assignment at Pioneer School. 

 “I loved being a teacher, coach and administrator at WHS for 30 years,” Davies said, as he concluded his interview with the Signal American. “However, the time I have spent at Pioneer these past two school years has been the icing on the cake. The students are so excited to be at school each day. Their enthusiasm for life is contagious for sure and welcoming them to Pioneer every morning is the highlight of my day!”