On the first day of the school year, as freshmen stream through the halls at Flathead High and settle into their new lockers, Bryce Wilson is still settling into his new office.
A 1986 FHS graduate, Wilson is the latest activities director at Flathead, replacing Frank Jobe who resigned last May after four years.
“I’m excited to be back as a Flathead Brave and to lead the programs,” he said last week.
Wilson, 43, returned to town four years ago after becoming an assistant principal at his alma mater. Before that he spent seven years as a high school activities director and four years as a junior high principal in Reardan, Wash. Overall, Wilson has 21 years of experience in education.
“When I came back and applied for the assistant principal job I had a great job in Washington,” Wilson said. “But one of the things I told them is I’d like to give back to the community that gave to me so much.”
He also has the opportunity to continue the example set by one of his role models.
“The first thing I remember at Flathead High was meeting Gene Boyle at a Flathead football camp when I was in sixth grade,” Wilson said.
A staple in the community, Boyle spent 16 years as Flathead’s A.D., one of the many roles he has filled throughout the years. Boyle made a strong impression on Wilson at a young age, and it remains with him today.
“He was always positive around me. He felt school spirit and pride was very important,” Wilson said.
After Wilson was named activities director Boyle stopped in and wished him good luck, Wilson said.
“It’s neat to have those ties. It makes it full circle for me,” he said.
Wilson steps in at a time when Flathead continues to adapt to the school split that took place in 2007. Since then programs have been on a rollercoaster of mixed results.
“I think we now know the challenges after four years,” Wilson said.
One of those challenges hampering Flathead in recent years is low participation in activities. Wilson is aiming to improve that.
“When we were one big school it was a whole different kind of dynamic than what we have now,” he said.
“Now we know we are going to have to work at (involving more students in activities). We can’t just rely on what we used to in the past,” Wilson said.
Another aspect Wilson wants to work on is “leadership building,” which will hopefully deter off-the-field troubles that commonly plague high schools everywhere. The slogan Wilson is starting with is, “Be brave to be outstanding.”
“I’ve talked to them about saying ‘No’ when everybody else is going to go out to a party and taking that brave stance and saying ‘No, that’s not what I’m about,’” Wilson said. “Hopefully that message gets out there. One of my visions is building a leader’s circle that will really turn those kids into our best allies.”
Coaches can’t be everywhere throughout the year, so the responsibility lies often times on the student, Wilson said.
“Giving kids the tools to help other kids is the most powerful thing,” he said.
A system of reinforcement will strengthen that possibility, he said.
And with good leadership and greater participation numbers, Wilson believes Flathead can keep growing its successful tradition.
“Continually bringing people into programs and pushing them to strive for excellence, that’s what I would hope we could continue to build on,” he said. “It’s building a community spirit of Flathead again. It’s how as a community can we all help encourage these kids to do more than they think they can.”