Steven Clark, who was appointed vice principal of Sierra High School in 2002, has been named the Timberwolves’ new principal at the start of the 2011-12 school year in August.

The announcement was made during last week’s Manteca Unified Board of Trustees meeting.

“We had two very good candidates, but (Board Trustee) Don (Scholl) and I thought that Steve showed a lot of potential for Sierra High School. We thought he had good qualifications,” said Trustee Nancy Teicheira.

“He was a good fit for Sierra,” added Teicheira, noting Clark’s familiarity with Sierra High having worked there since 1997 starting as an English and history teacher.

“He’s going to be there for a while and that’s what Sierra needs. And parents love him. He’s done a good job with the parents the last three years,” said Teicheira.

The interview with two school board members – Teicheira and Scholl – along with Superintendent Jason Messer was the last hurdle in the interview process for the position of principal at Sierra High. The process started with all applicants being screened by district staff to make sure they all have the qualifications that they need for the job. Then it proceeded to the next panel which was a committee that included parents of students attending Sierra High.

Prior to his new appointment, Clark was Sierra High’s vice principal and worked with outgoing principal Susan Pearson who is retiring. Before he was promoted to vice principal in 2002, he taught English and History for which he was initially hired in 1997.

He came to Sierra High from San Joaquin office of Education where he was hired as an alternative education teacher in 1993.

As vice principal at Sierra High, he “assisted with various discipline committees, worked with at-risk teens in the summer youth Yes-Plus program, and has also assisted in developing the district’s Discipline Guidelines for grades 9 through 12,” according to information provided by the school district.

Additionally, Clark served as an A.V.I.D. coordinator and summer school principal, according to the same source.

In 2007, he was hired as high school assistant principal, his current position. His responsibilities include overseeing certificated and classified staff evaluations, coordinating and supervising all testing programs on campus including STAR, as well as managing compensatory education programs including Indian Education, ROP and GATE programs.

The interviewers noted that Clark has “the strength, patience, dedication, positive attitude, the ability to lead others and to look at the big picture as well as the small issues; to take a stand regardless of the difficulty of the issue.”

Clark is a graduate of MidAmerica Nazarene University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in history. He received his master’s degree in Educational Administration from the University of LaVerne. He holds a Single Subject Teaching Credential in Social Science and an administrative services credential.