School’s over for ‘best principal ever’

Published 10:19 pm Monday, June 22, 2009

MARYSVILLE — Pete Lundberg serenaded students with “Happy Birthday,” bought and ate his lunch in the school cafeteria and high-fived students in the hallways he’d roamed for 18 years.

He never meant to stay at Marysville Middle School for so long. He had been a high school teacher and assistant principal, and hoped to return after a year or two as Marysville Middle School’s principal.

Instead, he found his niche among the goofy middle school crowd.

Now he’s saying goodbye to the school, students and staff that have made up such a big portion of his life for nearly two decades. Lundberg is retiring.

“It’s really weird,” he said, sitting in his office on the last day of school last week. “This is a very unusual feeling for me. I’m known to talk a lot, but I can’t think of how to express it. It’s emotional — very emotional.”

Lundberg, 60, has spent 38 years as an educator, first teaching economics, psychology, sociology and history.

As an administrator, he remained at the same school for an unusually long time. He’s spent more years leading his school than any middle school principal in Snohomish County. Around 900 students attended Marysville Middle School this year, but just a few years ago the school had well more than 1,000 students.

He hired more than 80 percent of the Marysville Middle School staff.

Many who have worked under him say he trusts his staff and lets them experiment, finding both failure and success on their own.

“He’s one who always believes people are going to do their best,” counselor Pat Kamimura said. “There’s a lot of trust in staff, which lets them grow.”

Seventh-grade teacher Chris Ziebarth said his students created a huge mess in his classroom, smashing rocks and experimenting with a stream table in the name of science. Other principals probably would have vetoed the lessons, Ziebarth said, but not Lundberg.

Between lunches, Lundberg, in his trademark suit and tie, always wiped the cafeteria tables down with hot water, kitchen manager Laurie Bingham said. Cafeteria workers looked forward to serving him lunch, especially his favorite: a chicken burger and French fries dipped in Thousand Island dressing.

“He always made a point to talk to everyone and call them by name — always,” she said.

Students say Lundberg wouldn’t hesitate to take control of a dicey situation, but he was fair in handing out discipline.

“He’s the best principal ever and by far the nicest,” seventh-grader Tyler Gamble said. “When something bad happens, he takes both your stories, not just one like some principals do.”

Lundberg said he relates to middle schoolers, and their hopeful, silly outlooks. He sometimes feels like he’s 13 at heart.

“He’s really playful,” sixth-grader Laura Prier said. “It’s kind of like he’s at school, too. He’s not childish, but he has a childish love. He loves to play around and joke.”

Lundberg, who lives in Marysville, plans to spend his retirement traveling with his wife of 33 years, Debi Lundberg, and exploring his many interests, including fishing, art and writing.

Last week, Lundberg stood on the sidewalk in front of Marysville Middle School on the last day of school and waved goodbye to buses loaded with his students. Kids opened windows and waved back, yelling, “Bye, bye, Mr. Lundberg!”

“Don’t put your head out of the window!” he shouted back, still a principal.

Lundberg breathed in exhaust-tinged air and watched the yellow buses disappear.

Kaitlin Manry: 425-339-3292, kmanry@heraldnet.com.