DAYVILLE Denise Fulston, newly hired as Dayville School Districts superintendent/principal, is a skip and a hop from her childhood stomping grounds.

Fulston moved to Dayville from Bismark, N.D., where she was vice principal and sixth-grade teacher at Pioneer Elementary School.

She and her husband Eddie Edmundson have two sons: Prestin, 15, and Armond, 11. Fulston said theyre happy the boys will attend a small school.

The family lives near Dayville School, where Fulston will begin full time on July 1.

Im very excited, Fulston said of her new job and new location. This is such a wonderful community, and there are so many wonderful opportunities, and a great staff.

She said the teachers seem receptive to the new requirements of the Common Core State Standards, and she appreciates their interest in having professional development on that topic during the summer break.

I was very impressed that they want to learn more the dedications there, she said.

Fulston speaks Spanish and will offer that class next year. She also has a degree in K-12 music.

Principals should be teaching a lot, she said. We need to be in with students and see whats going on, at least filling in.

Fulstons local connection to Eastern Oregon goes back to 1909 when her great-grandparents homesteaded in Rattlesnake Canyon near Mitchell.

Her grandparents lost their Mitchell home to a flood in the 1950s and bought another home on the towns hill, where she remembers spending many summers.

She was born in Prineville and grew up in La Grande, where she attended high school and Eastern Oregon University.

She finished her education schooling after she and her husband relocated to Bismark in 1993.

Fulston said shes looking forward to working with the Dayville School staff and board.

My primary focus is to be sure we continue working and improving, and that student and parent needs are met, she said. The school represents the community we need to make sure were meeting the aspirations.

The school board has a vacancy, and anyone interested in applying for a school board position may contact a member of the board or call the school at 541-987-2412. The boards next meeting is at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 9.