Konen returns to Flathead as incoming principal of Columbia Falls High School

The Columbia Falls High School has selected a new principal in Jon Konen.

Konen has been the superintendent of the Corvallis School District since 2020. Prior to that,he was principal of Lincoln Elementary in the Great Falls School District for nine years and athletic director at the Power School District from 2004 to 2007.

He also taught at the elementary grade level in Great Falls, Lakeside/Somers and started his teaching career in Anchorage Alaska 24 years ago.

Current Columbia Falls High School principal Scott Gaiser announced his retirement in January. Gaiser, who has been the principal for 10 years, will continue to lead the school through the end of the school year.

During a meet-and-greet last week, Konen said he wanted to be a principal again to get back to having daily contact with students. He also wanted to get back to the Flathead, where he began his teaching career.

He spoke to some of the more challenging parts of his career, including an incident in Great Falls involving a quadruple homicide where a person died on school property.

He said the school had to tactfully notify parents and close the school grounds as it was a crime scene. In turn, the school set up a daycare at another location so parents could still go to work.

The homicide also affected students at the school directly, so officials arranged counseling.

“I was proud of how it was handled and the messaging that went out,” he said.

He said part of his success is “showing up and participating in programs.”

It might be a basketball game one night, a concert the other. Konen has experience as a basketball referee.

He said he was impressed with the high school’s success — it currently has 28 dual credit courses that double as college credits.

He also said he liked the school's “Bleed Blue” slogan.

“I love having a mantra we can make tangible,” he said. “People want to participate and it becomes contagious.”

Konen said he supported social and emotional learning, but said critical race theory isn’t being taught in Montana’s curriculum.

“We’re not doing it. We’re not teaching critical race theory,” he said. “It’s giving social and emotional learning a bad name.”

He said if folks have differences, he invites them in to see the classes and what’s being taught.

“I always bring it back to what’s good for kids,” he said.

As far as working with staff, he said he wants to create a culture people want to be part of.

Corvallis is a class A school, though smaller than Columbia Falls, with a total student body of about 1,340 students and 473 in the high school.

The school board Tuesday voted unanimously to hire Konen.