Although new to Homer High, Mr. Pederson is a familiar face in education and within the community. Originally from Wisconsin, Mr. Pederson first came to Alaska and taught for twelve years in the Lower Kuskokwim School District in Quinhagak- a town with a population of less than 1,000. From there, he moved to Homer and took the role of principal at Paul Banks Elementary School, where he taught for eight years. For the past four years, Mr. Pederson has been the director of elementary education, K-12 schools, and federal programs for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. 2025-26 at Homer High will be Mr. Pederson's 28th year in Alaska education.
Mr. Pederson said that he was both excited and grateful to assume the role of principal this year at Homer High: “my goal is to make this the best school in the state. I mean, the possibilities here are so great. We have a wonderful staff. We have kids that are into, you know, school spirit and education. I think there's a lot of things, you know, I said this in my interview. I feel like someone gave me the keys to a Porsche, and was like, “Hey, take it for a test drive, because it is such a great place.” We have to love our love our school. Be proud of our school. Be proud of what we're putting out there.”
Mr. Pederson started the first day of school off with a pep assembly for all of the students. There, he introduced himself, welcomed the incoming classes, and ended it by encouraging all of the students and faculty to join him on the gymnasium floor to dance. Led by choreographer and dancer Rhoslyn Jennings, the students and teachers participated in an impromptu school-wide “electric slide.”
Mr. Pederson explained that engaging with students and increasing school spirit is incredibly important to him. “My three big things are rebuilding trust (1). We do have trust in our community, but strengthening trust, working on communication (2) to parents, to students. And, engagement (3). That's something I think we've done a really good job so far with that, with the student body coming up to the different activities that we've had here.”
This year, Mr. Pederson will work closely with Vice Principal Ms. Katie Bynagle and Athletic Director Justin Zank to increase engagement with school athletics and other activities. One way he hopes to achieve this is through increasing communication between students and faculty. Every Monday, Mr. Pederson and Ms. Bynagle will send out an email update to HHS students providing them with information about school activities going on that week.
Mr. Pederson’s task isn’t all easy. Due to recent cuts in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District funding, Homer High school has faced a reduction in teacher and support staff. Class sizes have increased, and class offerings have decreased.
Despite this, Mr. Pederson is optimistic for the future. “You know, our freshman class this year, I think at the very beginning, we had 122 of them, which is our biggest class. This is also our smallest staff in the last 20 years. So we've got some challenges ahead of us, but just making sure that we're doing everything that we can possibly do to make it a great experience. And you know, when people leave here, make sure they're proud, proud to be a mariner.”