John Deming, longtime Northwest Adventist educator and principal of Walla Walla Valley Academy (WWVA) in College Place, Wash., just announced he is retiring at the end of the current school year.
"Working and walking with teenagers is both exhilarating and humbling," says Deming, who has served as WWVA's principal since 1992.
Deming served as principal of Battle Creek (Mich.) Academy before coming to WWVA and as principal of Minneapolis (Minn.) Junior Academy for four years. He received a master of arts in counseling from Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo, Mich.) in 1972 and a bachelor of arts in history from Union College (Lincoln, Neb.) in 1965.
When asked about his years as an educator, Deming says, "It has been both a challenge and a joy to plant, cultivate and water the fertile hearts of students and watch as they move from nervous adolescent to the cusp of young adulthood. Far-reaching and important decisions are made during the four years of high school, and to have had the privilege of helping shape students' decisions has been more than rewarding. A daily morning prayer for my students is that they lean towards Jesus and choose to walk with Him that day."
Deming and his wife, Joan, a familiar face at College Place's Blue Mountain Credit Union where she has been employed for many years, intend to stay in the Walla Walla Valley. He plans to volunteer, teach by request and do some traveling.
Larry Marsh, Upper Columbia Conference vice president for education, will be working with the academy board to select a replacement.
John Deming, longtime Northwest Adventist educator, retires this year.
