Aberdeen School District adds to leadership team

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, August 27, 2025

The Aberdeen School District has added three new administrators to its Leadership Team as the 2025-2026 school year gets underway — Special Education Director Stefanie Lamont, Aberdeen High School Assistant Principal Rachel Wenzel and Doug Farmer as the athletic director for the district.

As staff geared up for the start of the school year, Aberdeen School District Co-Superintendent Traci Sandstrom said it has been a pleasure to welcome the three new administrators to the Leadership Team.

“It’s very clear that we are only going to get better and stronger with these new additions to our team,” Sandstrom said.

Special Education Director Stefanie Lamont has worked at Capital Region ESD 113 the past two years — first as the regional administrator for behavioral supports and then as director of Olympic Academy, a school that serves students from throughout the region who need all-day for special needs support.

Lamont grew up in Germany and earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Western Governors University and her master’s degree from the University of Colorado at Denver. She also has completed graduate level certificates as a board-certified behavior analyst and in culturally and linguistically diverse education.

Lamont says she wanted to work in Aberdeen schools because of the opportunity to have a systemwide impact on outcomes for students.

“This position gives me the opportunity to utilize my strengths and experience to have a broader impact on helping students and families get the support they need, as well as the opportunity to impact and support teachers in their work,” Lamont said.

Assistant Principal Rachel Wenzel is a 2001 graduate of Aberdeen High School where she was a standout student athlete. After high school, Wenzel earned her degree as an English teacher from Central Washington University, her master’s of education from Western Governors University and her principal certificate from Eastern Washington. She has also taught physical education and health.

Wenzel has spent much of her teaching career in the English Department at Aberdeen High School. She first joined the staff in 2007, and then taught in the Ocosta School District for seven years. She returned to the English Department in Aberdeen in 2016. The past two years she has been the high school’s dean of students and 504 coordinator.

Wenzel was also the head coach for girls’ basketball for a combined six years, and has also served as an assistant coach for volleyball and track at Aberdeen. She was inducted into the Aberdeen High School Hall of Fame in 2008 and now serves on the selection committee.

Athletic Director Doug Farmer is also an Aberdeen alum, graduating in 1993. After attending Grays Harbor College, he went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Eastern Washington University.

Professionally, Farmer has interacted with schools in the Aberdeen district over the years. He worked for almost 20 years in the city of Aberdeen’s Parks and Recreation Department, including six years as the assistant director from 2016–2022. He most recently has worked as the adult sports coordinator for Parks Tacoma. He described the opportunity to be the Aberdeen School District’s athletic director as “a dream job.”

Co-Superintendent Lynn Green added that a wonderful side note for her “is going to be watching two Bobcats giving back to their community by taking on important leadership positions in the district. They both have a lot of pride in their school and this community, and it has been a very fun start to the school year to have them in these roles.”