SALT LAKE CITY – Mountain View High's Rick Clark used to come home from the office feeling empty.
While he worked in business sales, his wife, an art teacher, would excitedly chatter about her school and students at the end of her work day. "I wanted that," said Clark, 61, of Orem.
So he left the business world for teaching. Despite the pay cut, he says he "wished he had done it sooner."
Wednesday, Clark's hard work did pay off as he and two other school leaders were awarded by the Utah Association of Secondary School Principals during a special ceremony in Salt Lake City.
Alpine School District's Lakeridge Junior High School chief Garrick Peterson, 37, of Orem, is Middle School Principal of the Year.
Spencer Hansen, 35, of Kaysville, is Assistant Principal of the Year at Davis School District's Syracuse Junior High School.
The three administrators each received a plaque and an all-expenses-paid trip to the national competition in Washington, D.C. Principals will head to a conference in San Francisco while assistant principals attend a conference in Phoenix, Ariz.
The administrators are nominated by their peers and reviewed by an association committee.
Clark began teaching in 1992 then transitioned into administration so he could "impact an entire school." The principal feels his business management experience, as well as his previous work in military intelligence, helped prepare him to successfully lead a high school.
He has been principal of Mountain View High since 2001. "I respect and care for the kids and their success and we do everything at our school to make that happen," said Clark, who has a bachelor's and master's degree from BYU.
Peterson became the principal of Lakeridge Junior High in 2004. He says he went into education because he loves the kids' energy and "wants to make a difference in their lives."
Peterson also earned a bachelor's and master's degree from BYU. He is finishing a doctorate in education leadership from University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Hansen has been at Syracuse Junior High since 2005. He has a bachelor's degree from University of Utah and a master's degree in special education rehabilitation from Utah State University.
"I love those kids who are struggling so much. I have a `root for the underdog' kind of attitude. I really want to see these kids succeed," he said. "There is a special place in my heart for special education kids."
Hansen's parents both taught special education. His grandparents on both sides were educators as well. "Education is something that is important to my family," he said.
Hansen and Clark agree budget cuts are the biggest challenge right now that Utah schools are facing. "It becomes difficult for us to provide the value of services we need for students," Hansen said.
Clark is worried about increased class sizes due to budget cuts. "If there are 30 to 40 students, it's difficult for a teacher to reach all students," he said. "We'll lose those kids."
Clark said he hopes the legislature dips into rainy day funds to help education. "Let's not put those kids on the chopping block," he said.
Peterson said he feels the biggest challenge is helping all kids learn. He believes the No Child Left Behind federal mandate, which holds schools accountable for student academic progress, has been "great for education" in that it focuses on the at-risk population of kids such as low-income and minority students.
Of Lakeridge Junior's 1,200 students, 45 percent are low-income and 25 percent are Hispanic, of whom 13 percent are English Language Learners. The school is doing a "flex" program in which students receive additional intensive instruction 30 minutes per day if needed in a particular class.
e-mail: astewart@desnews.com
TWITTER: AKStewDesNews