Educator's goal is students'success by Brenda McDonald There's no such thing as an eight-hour work day for Andy Holmlund, '91 SecEd. His days look more like 24/7 as superintendent of the Ronan School District. "I'm in the classroom on a constant basis," he said. "I do paperwork nights and weekends. My passion is the kids. I'm a student with them." If there is an activity or event that involves the 1,300 Ronan students, he's there, from basketball games to wrestling matches to concerts. "I go all over the state with my kids," he said. Raised in Ronan, Holmlund at first ignored his passion for teaching. "While I was in grade school, education piqued an interest, but I ignored who I was," he said. He went off to Montana State University, majored in finance and played for the 'Cats. "I got to the end of my undergraduate work and decided I didn't want to do that. I decided to pursue my passion," he said. "With kids at the secondary education level, you hand them off to adulthood. It's neat to do that and watch them go into the world." Holmlund was impressed with the education program at MSU. "They were good instructors and people who really believed in education, plus they had practical experience," he said. He has paid his dues in the educational community over the past 13 years. As a classroom teacher, he's taught English, history, advised on the school annual and newspaper, and coached football and basketball. Whatever needed doing, he did it. But Holmlund decided early on that he was interested in school administration. "I firmly believe that if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem," he said. "If the system is healthy, the whole will be healthy." After completing a master's in administration in Yakima, Wash., he returned to Montana as the principal in Roundup. Then he went back to Yakima to be a high school principal for a 1,800-student campus that was 51 percent Hispanic. "It was awesome," he said. "Kids are kids. You just treat them with respect. When I arrived, I didn't know a lick of Spanish, but by the time I left, I was conversant." His Montana heart continued to call, and he left Washington to be superintendent at the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Wolfpoint. He returned to Ronan when he became superintendent in 2003, bringing with him, his wife, Heather, and daughter, Kara. For Holmlund, being back home has been awesome. "You're able to cut to the quick because you know the people," he said. "People will pick up the phone and call me." His tenure has not been without challenges. With a 30 percent mobility rate of students during the year, creating an effective educational environment can be daunting. But, he's instituted an all-day, every-day kindergarten, and taken a hard look at the curriculum piece by piece. "I'm home for a reason: to give back," he said. "I want to see every kid enter the system and in two years read above grade level. I want them to graduate and have access to knowledge. That's what I'm after."