About the author
A 41-year veteran in Education, Harry Amend spent 32 years of his career as a teacher, coach, counselor, principal and superintendent in the Spokane Valley, Washington area. As President of the 1,500 member Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA) in the late 1990's, Harry joined Superintendent of Public Instruction, Teri Bergeson, and Governor, Gary Locke, in leading education reform in Washington.
As Superintendent of school districts in northwest Montana and North Idaho for a total of nine years, Harry was a leader in both states in efforts to implement school reform. Harry always brought a strong emphasis toward at-risk and special needs students to his leadership positions. He brought the middle school "School within a School" model and the first Bridge Academy dropout retrieval high schools to both Montana and Idaho.
Harry was a finalist for Superintendent of the Year in Washington in 1998 and in Idaho in 2007. One of Harry's favorite part-time jobs was serving as a major league baseball scout for the Philadelphia Phillies for twenty years. Harry currently lives in North Idaho with his wife Sandy. Their three grown children, spouses, and nine grandchildren live less than an hour away in the Spokane area.