PLEASANT HILL — Alan Stearns has been selected as Pleasant Hill’s new assistant principal and athletic director and was approved by the board last week, according to Pleasant Hill’s Principal Chris Reiersgaard.
“I’m really excited to learn about the new community,” said Stearns on Friday. “I am incredibly excited to return to the 3A level, both in the aspects of a smaller school field and to better connect with kids. Also, the conference (Mountain Valley Conference) is a pretty special one, too. It’s one I’ve worked in before when I was the athletic director at Creswell. I’m looking forward to working closer to home and in a smaller setting.”
Alan Stearns
Stearns served Creswell from 2017-2019 as an assistant principal and athletic director. Then he transferred to 5A Willamette High School, where he was the assistant principal for five years (2019-2024). For this last school year, he was the principal of 5A South Albany.
Reiersgaard expressed excitement about Stearns, highlighting his extensive administrative experience.
“I’m really excited to have Alan on board,” he said. “He checks a lot of the boxes. Obviously, he has two years of experience doing the exact same job at Creswell. But also, in his time as a principal at Willamette, he onboarded two to three athletic directors. So he’s not hitting the ground, not knowing what to do. He’s actually done it, and he’s actually trained and onboarded other athletic directors. It was very fortuitous for us to find a guy of that caliber to step in.”
Reiersgaard said what set Stearns apart from other hires was his ability to excel in the administrative and instructional aspects of his assistant principal role, which can be demanding. Previous Athletic Directors, Brandon Standridge of Creswell and Pleasant Hill’s Kyle McClain, both highlighted this demanding aspect of the role. They voiced a sense of burnout from this aspect and moved on to roles that focus entirely on their athletic passions.
“I think Alan has the same passion around athletics, but he’s just maybe a little bit broader,” said Reiersgaard. “Again, he’s been in the career longer, so he’s a little bit more seasoned. He has a little bit of a ‘veteran feel’ when you talk to him; he commands his space. But most of all, he’s really deep on instruction. He has a pretty impressive resume on the instructional side of things. He’s somebody who really enjoys getting into the classrooms and talking instruction, curriculum and assessment with the teachers. He’s equally well-versed in athletic activities and instructional background.”
Stearns starts his new role on August 1. Pleasant Hill classes start September 3.
