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American Indian picked to lead Central High School
Mike Talley says it's all about the kids.
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FarkRAPID CITY -- The Rapid City School District’s pick as Central High School’s next principal will be the school’s first American Indian principal.
Superintendent Peter Wharton announced Friday that Mike Talley, 34, of Bismarck, N.D. is his choice to head the state’s largest high school. The school board will act on Wharton’s recommendation at its June 7 meeting.
Talley is aware of the significance of becoming Central’s first Indian principal. The job is an opportunity to make a positive impact on the school district and the community, he said.
“I’m very honored and very proud that I was selected for the job,” Talley said during a telephone interview Saturday after pitching a softball game in Sioux Falls. “I feel very fortunate to be in the position I’m in right now.”
Central’s significant Indian student population was one of the factors that attracted him to the job, he said.
“I feel I can make an impact on that particular group of students and the parents and families as well,” Talley said.
Talley’s wife, Jackie Maxon-Talley, 37, also has been offered a post as assistant principal at Southwest Middle School, Wharton said Saturday.
Talley and Maxon-Talley are both experienced administrators who will make significant contributions to the community and school district, Wharton said.
“The two of them will bring a perspective and leadership that is so essential in making connections with not only the Native American community, but with all students and their families,” Wharton said.
Talley was one of eight candidates interviewed for the Central job, Wharton said. “He rose to the top. We were very impressed with him and his wife.”
Talley, an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, grew up in McLaughlin. He completed his undergraduate and graduate education in administration at the University of Mary in Bismarck.
Talley became principal of Standing Rock Community Grant High School at Fort Yates, N.D., seven years ago. The high school has 240 students, about one-tenth the size of Central. Both schools have similar educational philosophies and programs and deal with similar issues.
“In Rapid City, it’s just on a larger scale,” Talley said.
Talley intends to get to know as many of his students as possible.
“Kids are the best part of the job,” he said. “I love working with students and getting to know them.”
An enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes of North Dakota, Talley-Maxon is currently the director of special education for the Standing Rock schools. She also grew up in McLaughlin. Talley-Maxon earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in special education and administration at University of Mary.
“We’re looking forward to the move,” Talley-Maxon said. The couple has three children at home and a son in the Marines.
An active outdoor family, they are all excited about the move, Talley-Maxon said.
Contact Andrea Cook at 394-8423 or andrea.cook@rapidcityjournal.com
Mike Talley is in line to become the first American Indian to be principal at Rapid City Central High School. Talley has been principal at Standing Rock Community Grant High School in Fort Yates, N.D., for seven years. (Courtesy)
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