HHS welcomes Ed Norman as new principal

Havre High School will welcome a familiar face as new principal for the 2018-19 school year.

Havre High School Assistant Principal Ed Norman will be moving up to principal for the upcoming school year as current Principal Mike Haugen will be leaving the school to become principal of St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic School.

The assistant principal job at the high school is what brought him and his wife, Sally, a speech pathologist at Lincoln-McKinley Primary School, to Havre, Ed Norman said.

That was after he spent three years as high school principal in Laurel.

"It is my 14th year as an administrator," Norman said, adding that he was a teacher before then.

"I do have a lot of experience and some insight," he said.

Norman, who has worked in education in Washington, Idaho and Montana and has a master's degree in education administration from University of Montana, said he is excited to become a principal again.

"I knew I would like to be a principal someday," he said about going to graduate school after already earning a degree in design technology as well as a Bachelor of Science in physical education.

"There is a difference between being an assistant principal and principal ... it is a different challenge," Norman said. "I like being a leader."

"Havre has been good," he added, saying he is looking forward to continuing to move forward with the school as education continues to change.

"I think I have good relationship skills. ... I care about people," Norman said.

Norman said he believes that his previous experiences in administration will also help him.

He  has worked in administration, he added, at an elementary school, middle school, alternative school and high school and each level has taught him different perspectives and skills in making relationships with parents, staff and students.

"I started understanding why kids are the way they are," Norman said. "My goal is to try to keep up good relationships with students."

He would also like to help the students develop good relationships with each other, Norman said, through programs he would like to introduce such as a mentoring program where seniors and juniors are mentors to underclassmen.  

"I would like (the school) to be more welcoming for kids; I would like to help find a niche for each kid," he said.

Another goal he has for himself, he said, as well as for the school, is moving forward in all aspects like curriculum and technology.

"We need to continue to change," Norman added.

"I am excited for the new adventure," he said. "There are a lot of good people here."

District Superintendent Andy Carlson and Haugen said they both feel Norman will do good things for the school.

"He has a familiarity with staff and students," Carlson said. "He has a level of comfort. ... He will do well; this isn't his first time (being a principal)."

Carlson said he feels Norman has done very well as assistant principal.

"He supported Mr. Haugen very well; they worked very well together," he added.

"He will bring experience, knowledge and commitment," Haugen said. "He gets things done; he is straightforward. At the root of it all, the well being of the students will be most important to him."