Principal
Meet Dr. Jason Stanoch – Bemidji High School Principal![]()
Professional Journey & Education
Dr. Stanoch earned his doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Missouri. He began his educational career as a social studies teacher in Missouri, then moved into administration—serving as assistant principal and later principal at Red Lake High School. In 2016, he joined Bemidji High School as assistant principal and was promoted to principal in 2018 bemidjipioneer.com+11bemidjipioneer.com+11bemidjicareeracademies.com+11.
Leadership & Awards
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Named the 2018 Assistant Principal of the Year for the Northern Division by the Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP) massp.org+4bemidjipioneer.com+4bemidjipioneer.com+4.
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Alongside Principal Stefanich, accepted the MASSP “Star of Innovation – Gold” Award in 2018 and 2019 for outstanding work with the Bemidji Career Academies massp.org+3bemidjipioneer.com+3bemidjipioneer.com+3.
Educational Initiatives at BHS
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Career Academies: Pioneered and championed the development of multiple “Lumberjack Academies” that offer students dual-credit courses, career exploration, and real-world experience through local partnerships and internships bemidjistate.edu+11bemidjipioneer.com+11bemidjipioneer.com+11.
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Data-Action Team: Formed a task force to review student behavioral data and proactively reduce disciplinary incidents bemidjipioneer.com+1bemidjipioneer.com+1.
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School Safety Training: A certified ALICE “train-the-trainer,” Dr. Stanoch trains staff in proactive safety protocols at BHS bemidji.k12.mn.us+11bemidjipioneer.com+11bemidjipioneer.com+11.
District Leadership Roles
He currently serves as the MASSP Division President for the Northern region, representing and advocating for school leadership across northern Minnesota (term through June 2025) massp.org+1massp.org+1.
Community Engagement & Vision
Dr. Stanoch is actively engaged in district-wide discussions, such as discussing school day schedule adjustments and revised graduation credit requirements (moving to a five–period day requiring 35 credits) bemidji.k12.mn.us+7bemidjipioneer.com+7lptv.org+7.
He emphasizes expanding student opportunities through diverse electives, strategic scheduling, and minimizing class sizes, while ensuring fiscal responsibility lptv.org.