Once a Kodiak, Always a Kodiak: Cascade Says Farewell to a Beloved Principal Daley

Principal Elia Ala-ilima-Daley, who has served the Kodiak community for over almost three decades as an educator, administrator, coach, and friend, will be moving on next school year.

After thirty-six years of considering Leavenworth home and twenty-seven years of serving the Cascade School District community as a dedicated educator, Elia Ala'ilima-Daley is moving on to become the Executive Director of Secondary Education in the Olympia School District. Recent additions to the Cascade District know Daley as the principal at Cascade Senior High School; however, long-established residents will remember him first as a high school student, then as a teacher, athletic director, and assistant principal.

Daley first moved to Leavenworth in the fall of 1986 and enrolled at Cascade High School as a junior. While at Cascade, Daley played football and basketball and met his soon-to-be wife: then Christie Housten. After graduating from Cascade, Daley attended the University of Idaho and played football. There he earned an undergraduate degree in science and social studies. He and Christie lived in Hawaii until 1995 when they returned home to Leavenworth to raise their own children. Both of Daley’s children attended Cascade Schools. Eliana graduated in 2015 and is currently a content editor for World Wide Group in Spokane; Makenna graduated in 2018 and will be graduating from Cal-State Fullerton with a a degree in biology.

“[Leavenworth has] always felt like home,” Daley said. “The staff at Cascade High School is very much like the staff was when I was a student here: always welcoming and a huge part of helping me grow as a young man.”

Upon returning to Leavenworth, Daley began his teaching career as a History teacher. “I decided to go into teaching due to all the great mentors I has while I was a student as Cascade,” said Daley. In addition to teaching, Daley coached the golf team at CHS and joined the coaching staff for the high school football team. “I played football from third grade until college. And since the pros didn’t come knocking, I decided to coach. I love the game and it was a great way to connect with students,” he explained.

For most of his career at Cascade, Daley has taught and worked alongside math teacher Mr. Davies. Davies expressed nothing but kind words and fond memories when asked to explain what he will miss about Daley. “Everything. He’s an amazing man, intelligent, and he cares about kids. He’s got his heart in the right place because he loves kids and protects his staff. He’s funny, he’s fun to get along with, [and] fun to goof off with,” said Davies.

Mr. Davies isn’t the only staff member Daley has worked with for over two decades. Mr. Barnes, the current administrative assistant for Cascade, has had the opportunity of working alongside Daley since 1998. During these two decades together, Barnes has appreciated how Daley “creates an amazing atmosphere for the staff” adding that “it will be hard to replace him.” Barnes shared a fond memory of his time with Daley: “He has always made me laugh, but one of the funniest times was when he helped trap Mr. Joya in his office during Covid.”

One of the greatest testaments to a teacher’s influence is when their students pursue a career in the field of education themselves. Two current employees of the Cascade School District have done just that: Sports Medicine Teacher John Betz and Athletic Director Dominique Coffin.

“When I was in high school, he’d just became the high school football coach. He was a teacher. I took his CWCW class; played football for him. I’ve known Daley a long time, [he’s a] very good friend of mine. And now I get to work with him in a different way, and that’s been really cool to be able to experience,” said Betz.

Carl Haberberger, the current Cascade culinary teacher, shared that despite never having Daley as a teacher, he was lucky enough to have him as a football coach. “[Daley] was the football star we looked up to when we were little kids. He made football practices fun.”

Mr. Coffin had Mr. Daley as a CWCW teacher and football coach all throughout high school. Now that they are coworkers, he explained that Daley’s efficiency is what makes him a great work partner. “If I need help with anything, he doesn’t put it off until later, he gets it done right away. He also is someone that does a great job of building strong relationships with all students, staff, parents and community.”

In 2009, after finishing his administrative credentials with Washinton State University in Spokane, Daley was hired as the vice-principal for Cascade High School. He served as the vice-principal for five years; he also continued to coach football. “Often when a coworker becomes a boss, it becomes a difficult thing. But not with Mr. Daley because he is just so genuine. He’s honest, he cares about his teachers, and it never affected our friendship at all. He’s just a wonderful leader,” said Davies.

When the position of principal opened in 2014, Daley excitedly applied. Cascade Superintendent, Tracy Beckendorf-Edou praised Daley’s time serving Cascade: “Mr. Daley has been a great leader. He is positive, hard-working, collaborative, and has done an excellent job leading Cascade High School and various district initiatives such as summer school, professional learning, and the Kodiak Virtual Academy.”

Mary Cowan, a paraeducator at CHS, has enjoyed working with Daley for at least a decade. “I think he does a fantastic job. He cares for students and staff. He’s organized and always on the ball. He gets things accomplished and he is very personable,” she said.

Daley is not only admired by staff, but also well respected by Cascade students. “He doesn’t take his job too seriously, but somehow keeps our school organized and everyone in line,” remarked junior Jones Duncan.

“He inspired me to challenge myself academically. My senior year I wasn’t going to take calculus because I thought it was too hard for me. But when I talked to Mr. Daley, he said that he believed that I could take on that challenge,” said ASB President Madi Gillespie. “I would describe him as supportive, because all of the four years that I’ve been in Cascade High School, he wanted us to have fun and enjoy our high school years, through sports, ASB, events, clubs, and spirit week,” explained Gillespie.

For senior Rosie Fernadez, Daley’s “personality impacted the way I look forward to going to school. He creates a positive and fun environment to go to. He inspired me and other people to be more outgoing to others.”

Daley’s resignation will mean an opportunity for another administrative hopeful and the difficult process of hiring a new principal has already begun. “[Candidates] will have the chance to apply through the end of March. After Spring Break, we will bring finalists to Cascade School District for interviews. Each finalist will have a full day of experience, including a tour (if they are from a different school district), an interview, and a chance to meet with and answer questions from various groups of people either in person or on Zoom. After all of the finalists have gone through this process, the interview committee will make a recommendation about who they would like to see as the next principal of Cascade High School. I will also conduct reference checks. We should have the process completed by the end of April,” explained CSD Superintendent Tracy Beckendorf-Edou.

In his new role as the Executive Director of Secondary Education in the Olympia School District, Daley will be supporting the administration of four middle schools and two high schools. This job will require him to “provide overall leadership and direction to the district, especially in the areas of curriculum and school improvement” among other administrative duties according to the OSD website. This is an exciting promotion for Daley; however, he will always carry the Kodiak spirit with him.