Niemi takes over as KVCS administrator

Kootenai Valley Christian School is expecting a changing of the guard by the end of the month.

Ruthanne Dolezal, the school’s current administrator, will be stepping down on May 29. Tara Niemi, administrative assistant, will be filling her shoes, according to a press release from the school.

“Niemi will begin her term well equipped to carry forward the vision and purpose of Kootenai Valley Christian School with exceptional skill, passion and integrity,” Dolezal said in the statement.

Niemi began volunteering with the school in 2018. During the 2019-2020 academic year, she taught fifth and sixth grades. This year, she served as the school’s administrative assistant. Niemi holds undergraduate degrees in psychology and church ministries and a master’s in human services from Liberty University.

Dolezal has served as the school’s administrator for seven years. Before heading the school staff, she worked as a first grade teacher for four years. As an elementary school student, she attended St. John Lutheran School in the building that now houses the Kootenai Valley Christian School.

To ease the transition, Niemi, Dolezal and the school board worked closely together throughout the year.