August 2021

Dear Cougar Families,

It is with much joy and excitement that I introduce myself as the new principal of Medical Lake Middle School.  Words cannot express how honored I am to serve the Medical Lake community.  This past year I served as the assistant principal at the middle school and during this time, I quickly realized how special this community and school district are.  As a result, I feel truly blessed and fortunate to be given the task of carrying on the illustrious tradition of Medical Lake Middle School, and together, we will make this the best middle school in the state.  This is a tremendous responsibility and I look forward to partnering with you throughout this process.  WE ARE A TEAM, WE ARE COUGARS!

Growing up in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, I was the son of a mother who taught 33 years in public school all at the elementary level.  My mom would often bring my sister and me to her school in the summer to help prepare her classroom and we thought that was the coolest thing.  As we grew, my mom would often impart her love for teaching at the elementary level to my sister and me and when it was time for us to go to college and determine a major, it was a no-brainer for us both.  My sister and I are both embarking on our 19th year in education.  After earning my undergraduate degree from Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA, I moved to Seattle and was blessed with the opportunity to teach high school social studies courses at O’Dea High School.  I taught there for 9 years while coaching basketball, football, and baseball.  During that time, I earned my Master’s in Educational Administration from Seattle University.  In 2010, I married my loving wife, Jocelyn and together, we have 3 children (Owen is 9, Carter is 6, and Lily is 4).  Family is everything for me and I look forward to building relationships with your family throughout my tenure.  Prior to arriving in Medical Lake, I served as a Principal or Assistant Principal in several school districts in the Seattle-Tacoma area.  In my 19 years of education, I have been an Irishman, a Zephyr, a Bobcat, a Husky, twice a Panther, and now a Cougar!  I hope to be a Cougar for a long time!  

As we embark on this wonderful journey together, I think it is important for you to have some insight into my vision and dreams for Medical Lake Middle School.  I want MLMS to be an outstanding school and there are four criteria that must be in place for this to happen:  

1. Children who feel safe and are engaged in their own learning
2. Parents who are involved and support their child’s education
3. A staff who work hard to serve every student, every day.
4. Parents, students, and staff working toward a common action, Agape, or love as a verb.  Agape love is a little different.  It is not a feeling; it’s a conscious act of the will-a deliberate decision on our part to put others ahead of ourselves.

If we are constantly working toward meeting the above stated criteria, then we will be successful.  We’ve got this Cougars!

WE ARE A TEAM, WE ARE COUGARS!

In partnership,

Matt Ziegenfuss--Principal