Eric Waltenbaugh verbally accepted the principal position for West Homer Elementary, said Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Communications Liaison Pegge Erkeneff. Waltenbaugh is currently serving as a middle-high school teacher and curriculum specialist in Kodiak School District, and has been there since 2000.

Waltenbaugh is no stranger to Homer. His wife is a Homer native and they have a house where they spend summers in town with their three kids, said Waltenbaugh during his interview on Feb. 25.

Waltenbaugh was chosen after Superintendent Sean Dusek interviewed five candidates at a public meeting at West Homer Elementary. He teaches language arts and social studies, in addition to working as a soccer coach for Kodiak High School and serving as an evaluation committee member for the Kodiak Island Borough School District. Waltenbaugh graduated cum laude with his bachelor of arts in international relations and economics from Claremont McKenna College in California. He received his master of arts in teaching 5th – 12th grade education with a concentration in social studies from Lewis and Clark College in Oregon and a K-12 principal license from University of Alaska, Anchorage.

Waltenbaugh will take over the position of principal from current principal Raymond Marshall. Raymond announced his resignation – effective at the end of the current academic year – in late January.

Anna Frost can be reached at anna.frost@homernews.com.