EVANSTON — Evanston High School students will see a new administration when they return to classes in a couple of weeks. After serving as assistant principal at EHS for eight years, Scott Kohler has been promoted to principal. The appointment follows former principal Merle Lester’s retirement.

Audrey Ortberg from Casper has been hired to be the new assistant principal and Derek Haider, formerly a science teacher at Evanston Middle School, will now be the Dean of Students at EHS.

“I love our community and working with the families of the students,” Kohler said. “Working with Merle for eight years was great; I learned a lot from his leadership. My leadership style is cooperative, and teamwork and working with our stakeholders is important. I am a little nervous about being principal and the challenge of stepping out of being assistant principal. I want our school to be a safe and great place to work, where both the teachers and the students feel supported.”

Unlike Horizon High School, which will transition to 90-minute class schedules, Kohler said, EHS schedules will remain the same. He said the staff of EHS and Horizon support each other and the teacher and student “swap” will remain in place. Students at Horizon will still be able to attend EHS for classes they can’t get at Horizon.

Kohler said the cellphone policy at EHS states there will be no cellphone use in classrooms; cellphones will remain in backpacks or in a caddy and not on the student. He said overall the policy has been supported by parents.

“The problem with cellphones is the disruption in classes, but also the bullying that happens on social media that affects the students negatively,” Kohler said. “We want to make sure their time in school is safe and supportive.”

Kohler grew up in Heber Valley, Utah, and graduated from Wasatch High School in Heber City. He earned his bachelor’s degree in math and history with a minor in Japanese at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. He earned his Master of Education Administration at the University of Wyoming in Laramie.

The Kohler family moved to Evanston in 2006, and Kohler was first employed at EHS as a math and statistics teacher. He coached girls’ soccer for eight years while serving as assistant principal. Kohler also coached wrestling at Evanston Middle School for seven years.

Kohler said, “I am excited about the opportunity to serve as principal and plan on continuing to be the best we can be for the students at EHS.”