KINGSTON — As summer lurks around the corner, bringing with it an end to most student work, the North Kitsap School District’s decision-making drudgery continues.

In the past two months, the NKSD board has appointed new leaders for Poulsbo Junior High and North Kitsap High School in accordance with a district-led principal search committee’s recommendations. Now, the district’s collective focus turns to the $38.5 million dollar school taking shape in the woods off West Kingston Road.

Four candidates are seeking the principal post at the brand new Kingston High School.

J.D. McMahan of Toledo Middle School in Oregon and Merrilee Carey from the North Thurston public schools interviewed with a gamut of North Kitsap educational stakeholders May 23 and 24. North Kitsap High School assistant principal and lead administrator at Polaris, Christy Cole and Katharine Gleysteen of Battle Ground High School in Vancouver went through the NKSD ringer May 30 and 31.

Out of those four candidates, the NKSD search committee will likely choose two finalists and visit their respective schools next week before making a recommendation to the NKSD board.

The target date for the recommendation is the June 8 regular board meeting, NKSD Supt. Gene Medina said, however, if that date is not met the board will likely call a special session during the week of June 12-16 to decide which leader will initiate the Kingston High School culture.

“I’ve had the opportunity, in my career, to start three different schools,” Katharine Gleysteen said, noting that she has been a part of the initial staff at Klahowya Secondary School, Olympic High School and Emerald Heights Elementary. “There is this incredible energy that comes from starting new, it’s an adventure.”

Gleysteen feels she is well equipped for the journey from her experience with the growing pains of helping open those schools. Serving as an assistant and head principal through the beginning years at Klahowya, she weathered the time it took for the school to develop not only its identity but also its pride.

After retiring after eight years at Klahowya’s principal post in June 2005, Gleysteen realized it was not yet time for that, she said.

So she took on the task of revitalizing another failing school culture in the special education department at Battle Ground High School in Vancouver.

“The experience turned out to be just as I’d expected, the culture has totally changed,” she said, noting a turn around in staff attitude and, in turn, student learning. “I don’t know if it was me, or more just (the teachers) realizing their strengths.”

Cole realizes her strengths, in regards to the principalship at KHS, as being firmly rooted in the process from the beginning stages.

“I have been involved for quite some time in the work this district is doing to move forward in a direction that is going to improve academic achievement for all students,” Cole said.

As lead administrator at Polaris, NKHS’ first Small Learning Community, Cole experienced what it’s like to open a school from construction to curriculum design to implementation. Though the school is on a smaller scale with only 200 students, Cole said the experience was invaluable.

“I feel that it was a very wonderful experience that really provided me with the tools that I think would come into play at Kingston High School,” she said.

Cole has already been involved at the ground level of KHS, as she was a member of the design team which envisioned the building.

Both she and Gleysteen had a chance to tour the KHS site as part of their interviewing process, and as the building comes to life, Cole is visualizing the structure’s possibilities and opportunity.

“Having an environment like that will supplement what we are trying to do for students,” she said. “It can only help create an atmosphere for a first year that’s going to hit the ground running.”