From student to superintendent, David VanderYacht will be the new head of the Lynden School District.
The board announced their unanimous decision on March 31, following a week of rigorous interviews, community forums and visits by the superintendent candidates.
At his March 28 community forum, VanderYacht focused on his commitment to mending the community and his commitment to supporting students.
“There’s a need to feel belonging, to feel a part of a community,” he said. “When that happens, you can achieve and grow.”
VanderYacht believes that his unique position as a lifelong Lynden local will help him to mend the rift in the Lynden district that has grown over the last few years of upheaval.
He told Cascadia Daily News that the community response has been overwhelmingly positive and that many people are grateful for his willingness to lead.
“He is a quality person, and we know that he’s a good man with a good heart,” Lynden High School teacher Layne Hutchins said after VanderYacht’s forum. “That means a lot.”
He said once he starts, he’s going to focus on two areas: returning to more intentional work after making reactive decisions during the pandemic and coming up with a comprehensive communication plan, internally and externally.
VanderYacht is a graduate of Lynden High School and went on to receive his bachelor’s and master’s in education from Western Washington University. He holds a superintendent certificate from City University in Seattle. VanderYacht has spent his entire education career with the district as a middle school teacher, elementary school principal and assistant superintendent. He said he was influenced to take on the role by former superintendents and leaders in the district who sought to involve the community in their work.
He will take over for interim superintendent Mike Stromme on July 1 and will be in charge of managing the district’s 3,500 students and five schools.
