Aug. 25 – Principal Matthew Diers, leading Palisade High School since 2004, has been named 2013 CHSPA Administrator of the Year.

Diers has been recognized for excellence before: 2009 Mesa County Schools, Administrator of the Year, 2011 Colorado NASSP High School Principal of the Year, and in both 2011 and 2012 Colorado Governor’s Distinguished Improvement Award.

Prior to being named principal at Palisade, he served the school for five years as assistant principal. Diers had a distinguished teaching career in science and mathematics, and in 1997 was named Boettcher Foundation, Teacher of the Year. In 1995 he was named Delta County Science Teacher of the Year.

In addition to teaching, Diers served as Head Girls Basketball coach, Head Baseball coach, and Assistant Football Coach, Defensive Coordinator.

He has kept his ties to athletics through officiating, and has been a member of the Colorado Football Officials Association since 1993. He has worked three Colorado State Championships, the latest last fall.

As avid outdoorsman, he has been a member of the National Ski Patrol since 2000.

“I believe that newspaper and yearbook production within a school provides historical documentation of the event s of the year,” wrote Diers, “but also a year-to-year chronology of a school, events, programs and the students.  As a building principal I believe the importance of this historical perspective is overlooked by many.  A review of news publications and yearbooks published provides a clear, authentic student produced historical account of our school and the events of any given school year.  The research opportunities and abilities provided by these documents cannot be underestimated by school staff and by our communities.”

Diers will receive his Administrator of the Year award during the opening session at J-Day on Oct. 11.