Associate Principal Mr. Jeffrey Aman is set to step down from his Associate Principal role at the end of the school year to accept a similar position at a different high school in Kansas, and OHS students are sad to see their beloved Associate Principal leave.

“Mr. Aman was always a comforting presence at Orono. Whether at lunch or just in the halls, he was always there with a smile and ready to talk about anything and I think that brought a lot of joy to students,” senior Joey Mariani said.

“He makes such a big effort to get to know students. It’s simple things like just saying ‘hi’ to them, smiling at them in the hallways, but then even extends to trying to get to know people more personally,” senior Carys Summers said.

“I’ll miss him greeting me in the hallways and saying good morning to me. He was very nice and honest and he cared about the students,” sophomore Finn Blake said.

“I love Mr. Aman. Mr. Aman is very friendly and kind,” freshman Henry Bell said.

Likewise, many faculty are somber about Mr. Aman’s leaving.

“I think I’ll mostly miss his positivity. I can’t remember too many days where Mr. Aman came in crabby or he was upset about something,” Social Studies teacher Mr. Weiland said.

“Mr. Aman is kind-hearted, goal-oriented, and grounded. He’s a problem-solver. He’s an optimist. He has a great sense of humor. He is genuinely curious about people. He’s totally trustworthy. He is one of the best teachers/administrators I’ve worked with in 36 years of teaching,” Social Studies teacher Ms. Ferber said.

“I will miss Mr. Aman greatly. I appreciated that he and I made a good team together. He is very authentic, empathetic, and creates strong relationships with staff and students. He has a very positive attitude and has made a tremendous impact on OHS,” Principal Dr. Steiner said.

“He was always a person I could go to if I felt like I had a question or I needed to bounce an idea off of someone. I always trusted his opinion, so I guess I’ll just miss having my friend to work with and also somebody-a colleague that I really trust,” Social Studies teacher Ms. Naylor said.

Mr. Aman received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Portland, majoring in History in 2002. He went on to get a Master’s degree in Social Studies Education from the University of Minnesota in 2010. He has been a staple at Orono since when he was first hired as a Social Studies teacher in 2008, teaching history and geography. Mr. Aman was also a Cross Country coach during his first eight years at Orono.

“Mr. Aman and Ms. Naylor both came into the school district […] in the same year and the Social Studies department was a bit older, at that time we had some older, more veteran teachers and so it was really nice to have fresh voices, younger voices, energetic voices to add to the mix,” Mr. Weiland said.

“Oh my gosh, it was awesome! I loved working with him because […] he’s really creative and he just was always willing to put in the work, so [he was] really fun to work with,” Ms. Naylor, who co-taught World History with Mr. Aman noted.

Mr. Aman was named Interim Associate Principal, succeeding then-Associate Principal Ms. Boyd in January of 2021. Mr. Aman decided to apply to be Associate Principal so that he could focus more on “the bigger picture” in Orono.

“I’m really excited. I’ve been here for 13 years and I’ve loved teaching here, but I thought about taking on an admin role for a few years now and I did a principal licensure program starting back in 2018. So, it had been on my mind, and then this opportunity opened up and you know it’s, on the one hand, it’s a COVID year so it’s crazy but then again, everything’s kind of crazy right now so why not try something new,” Mr. Aman said during an interview to The Spartan Speaks at that time.

Mr. Aman would later be named Associate Principal in May, 2021. During his tenure as Associate Principal, Mr. Aman has fostered an environment that promotes school culture and belonging. Mr. Aman was known for always being friendly to students and interacting with them in the hallways, building relationships.

Mr. Aman will be accepting a position at Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park, Kansas as Associate Principal.

“All my family lives in Oregon and all my wife’s family live in Kansas City, Missouri. We decided it was time to move closer to family and decided to stay in the Midwest” Mr. Aman said, “I promise you this had nothing to do with Taylor Swift or jumping on the Kansas City Chiefs’ bandwagon. It’s hard to do after 16 years at Orono High School, but the pull of family is just too strong.”

Blue Valley Northwest High School is one of five high schools in the Blue Valley school district. It is ranked sixth in the state by the US News and World Report and has a student body roughly 40% larger than that of Orono.

“I am looking forward to collaborating with administrators to solve common problems we face like increasing student engagement and sense of belonging,” Mr. Aman said.

Mr. Aman is sad to be leaving OHS, but grateful to staff and students for his time here.

“The students and staff are what make Orono a great place to be, they are funny and smart and really value education,” Mr. Aman said.

OHS art teacher Ms. Erin Head is set to take over the role of Associate Principal from Mr. Aman. To read more about that, click here.