We are lucky enough to attend a school with a strong administration team that truly cares about the students, but assistant principal Matthew Amerson takes it to a new level. Everyday he goes above and beyond to not only handle his plethora of tasks that come with the job, but also takes time out to connect with his students.

One of the students Amerson has impacted most is Junior Alyssa Bohannon. Bohannon used to struggle with grades and attendance, but with Amersons guidance and support, she is now doing much better. 

“He’s really sweet and understanding, caring and patient. He’s one of the main reasons I come to school,”  Bohannon said. 

His contributions have not only been noticed by students, but also by his boss head principal Aaron Fezzey, who opted to nominate him for the Associate Principal of the Year Award which he went on to win out of all the assistant principals in the state. 

Fezzey was the one to hire Amerson here at the high school, based on his impressive background as principal of Bryant elementary school for three years and assistant principal of Northern Lights for two years. 

“He cares about the people and he cares about the culture of our building,”  Fezzey states. 

Amerson has known he wanted to teach from a very young age, and was inspired by the teachers who helped him. After being a teacher for five years he switched to administration as a way to help students on a greater scale. One of his favorite parts of teaching is getting the chance to play a part in the futures of his students.

“What we do here creates the baseline for what students are going to do in the future, for whatever career they choose, and knowing that I get to help with that is a huge honor,”  Amerson said. 

As someone who has relied on him heavily throughout highschool, I am forever grateful for how much he has helped me and so many other kids. He focuses on the little things and makes everybody feel heard. 

Whether I just need advice, or me and my friend want to discuss conspiracy theories for half an hour, he’s there. He doesn’t look for quick fixes to get kids out of his office, he helps them to work through their issues to improve their lives in the long run.