Popular Redoubt Elementary principal moves to new post

Popular Redoubt Elementary principal moves to new post

As school let out for the summer at Redoubt Elementary, the traditional faculty led wave to departing buses was also a departing wave for Principal John Pothast, fondly called “JP” by teachers and parents alike at Redoubt. After moving as principal at Skyview high school to elementary, JP was not only a respected figure but one that endeared himself to Redoubt students who loved to see him dressed in an array of costumes for special events throughout the year from Dr. Seuss’s birthday to Thanksgiving canned food round-ups to benefit the Food Bank and teach youth the joy of giving. “My leaving is bittersweet. This is an awesome school to be at and making school fun is a big part of what we do because learning should be fun and that’s an intrical part of what we do with our kids every day. Life’s too short to not have fun,” Pothast told the Dispatch on the last day of school in May. Asked if he could carry the same type of fun into his new position with the district he replied, “Absolutely! The reality is when you look at the pressures going on in education they’re really K-12 issues and very few things are separated as only elementary or only middle or high school, the standards and assessments coming down all that stuff is K-12 issues so I see a lot of transference up to the high schools with what we’re doing in our entire district. It looks different because in the elementary schools you have a self-contained classroom and students have one teacher for the most part and by the time they hit middle school it starts to get divided out among seven or eight teachers but the reality is they’re still an individual student with individual needs and that’s part of what we need to do as educators is look at what are those needs,” said Pothast.

In August Pothast takes up his new post as director of secondary education for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District (KPBSD), “I’m heading over to the district office. I was a high school English teacher for ten years and then I was the principle at Skyview for six, so my roots are in the high school, but the biggest thing with curriculum that I see coming at us is the standards, what we are doing in education needs to be standards focused so when we take a look at what we’re teaching kids, we start with the standards and we grow from there. And that’s kind of new for a lot of years I think we focused on starting with a text book and teaching what is in the text book, but now while that’s a good starting point the standards really drive a lot of what we do,” he said. JP was also the daily Safety Patrol guy when school went out directing pick up traffic and students to their buses regardless of the weather.

“My successor will be Bill Withrop he’s the new principal here at Redoubt and was the former P.E. teacher here for years and years and he will do an awesome job and has safety patrol capabilities and filled in for me often. Not sure if he’ll be known as BW or not but we’ll see,” said JP.

Popular Redoubt Elementary principal moves to new post
Popular Redoubt Elementary principal moves to new post

More in News

Fire crews respond to the Bruce Fire, July 4, 2025, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Alaska Division of Forestry)
Firefighting crews respond to wildfire outside Soldotna

The 8-acre fire and two “spot fires” of less than one acre each are located near Mile 102 and 103 of the Sterling Highway.

Robert Weaver was last seen at the Doroshin Bay public use cabin on June 25, 2025. (Photo provided by the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)
Kenai wildlife refuge seeking information on missing man

Robert Weaver was last seen near Skilak Lake on June 25.

The Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team conducts a training mission in Seward, Alaska in 2024. Photo courtesy of the Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team
Anchor Point fundraiser to benefit Alaska rescue and recovery group

Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization established in 2016.

Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic staff (left to right) Angie Holland, RN; Jane Rohr, Sonja Martin Young, CNM; Robin Holmes, MD; and Cherie Bole, CMA provide an array of reproductive and sexual health services. (Photo provided by KBFPC)
Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic releases report on STI trends on the Kenai Peninsula

The report pulls from data gathered from 2024 to early 2025.

Pool manager and swim coach Will Hubler leads a treading water exercise at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Swimmers, parents call on Kenai to support Kenai Central pool

The KPBSD Board of Education last week said communities will need to step up and take over administration of pools within the next year.

Traffic passes by South Spruce Street in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai drops effort to rename South Spruce Street

The resolution would have changed the name to make it clear which road led to North Kenai Beach

Gov. Mike Dunleavy compares Alaska to Mississippi data on poverty, per-pupil education spending, and the 2024 National Assessment of Education Progress fourth grade reading scores during a press conference on Jan. 31, 2025. Alaska is highlighted in yellow, while Mississippi is in red. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Dunleavy calls special session for August

Lawmakers on Wednesday said they were surprised by the move.

A makeshift coffin decrying the risks of Medicaid funding cuts is seen on Thursday, June 26, in front of the Blazy Mall in Soldotna. The cuts were included in legislation passed by the U.S. Senate early Tuesday morning. (Photo by Jonas Oyoumick/Peninsula Clarion)
Ahead of Senate vote, Soldotna protesters defend Medicaid funding

Cuts to the program were included in legislation passed by the U.S. Senate early Tuesday morning.

Most Read