Spotlight On New Elementary School Principal
Author: Nancy Marks, MT43 News Reporter
Spotlight on New Elementary School Principal
Steve Cook might be the new principal at Townsend Elementary, but his roots in the area go back a long way.
Born in Helena and raised in Townsend, Steve’s ancestors homesteaded on land near Headwaters State Park. He graduated from Broadwater County High School in 1977. His three brothers and a sister also graduated from BCHS. He has enjoyed seeing former classmates and recognizing his former teachers, despite his 25-year hiatus.
Steve went on to receive a teaching certificate at what is now the University of Montana Western in Dillon. He then served six years in the US Navy in the Gulf War during Operation Desert Storm. He took some courses in electronics during his stint in the service. While he was waiting for a job opportunity, he leaned back on his teaching certificate to win a job teaching high school science in Hawthorne, Nevada, a town of 6,000.
While teaching he used the GI Bill to earn a Master’s degree in administration. He received his degree in 2000 and immediately took a job in Hawthorne, Nevada as the Middle School Principal. In 2007 he moved from Hawthorne to the larger city of Elko, Nevada to take a job as the principal at a large elementary school. He was an administrator in Elko until this year when he retired and moved to Townsend.
Steve is open and easy to talk to. I asked what prompted him to become a teacher. He explained “It all started with Mrs. Masolo, my third-grade teacher. I was kind of shy, but she really made me feel important. She put on a play, Smokey the Bear and the Careless Campers. I got to be a camper. Mrs. Masolo allowed me to be more than I thought I could be. I never forgot that. Later I wanted to be just like her so I could give students that same encouragement.”
Steve pointed out that his predecessor Principal Christina Hartmann had made great strides in good educational programs for the K-8 students and while he has appreciated being able to settle in on programs already in place, he wants to emphasize the importance of prekindergarten and kindergarten learning as a good foundation for school preparation. “Half of those programs must include the social and emotional component. The students must begin to learn in a structural environment when they get to first grade. So, learning to be polite, to play fair and to get along with others is so important. That way the door is wide open for them to focus on learning later on.”
He explained the end goal is to challenge students to learn at high levels. When the students struggle a little, like in math, they learn more. The end goal is to help them order their thinking so they can solve problems in all situations, not just math, or science. He explained it this way: In one of his classes he had the young students write a recipe for chocolate chip cookies, then prepare the cookies as they wrote the recipe. “Right away, they could see they had the directions out of order, forgot to turn on the oven, left out the sugar- it was a fun way to teach them the importance of order.” He laughed.
Steve encourages parents to get involved with their children’s programs at school to learn how new ideas and concepts fit into their children’s classes. He can be reached at (406) 441-3451 or email scook@k12.mt.us.
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PhotoCredit: Nancy Marks, MT43 News Photographer
Image 1 Caption: New Townsend Elementary School Principal Steve Cook.
Nancy Marks, MT43 News Photographer
 Steve Cook closeup.JPG)
