The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG – Waitsburg coach and physical education teacher Jeff Bartlow described his recent resignation as "the end of an era," after investing 17 years of his career in Waitsburg. Bartlow recently accepted a position as a counselor at Pioneer Middle School – the same position he held before coming to Waitsburg in 1999, where he was WHS head football coach for 16 years.

Bartlow said he had been considering a career change for some time, but that the job opening at Pi Hi came at the last minute, opening on July 28. "I knew I was going to be doing something different, but there are only a couple of places I would be willing to move," he said. He said he also hoped to retire in Walla Walla.

While the new position will be a challenge (Bartlow said wearing pants instead of shorts is a definite drawback), it is not new territory. In fact, Bartlow began work on Monday, in the very same office in which he worked in the early 1990s.

Bartlow graduated from Idaho State University, where he played football, earning an education degree in 1985. He taught sixth grade and coached in Reardan, Wash. before returning to school at Oregon State University where he earned his master's in school counseling.

He spent from 1990 to 1999 counseling and coaching football at Pi-Hi before accepting a coaching/teaching position in Waitsburg.

Bartlow said working Waitsburg has been "an absolute gem of a job," but the job that he left was an awesome job as well. He said he left Pi-Hi only because he wanted to explore his options as a coach and took advantage of the opportunity to be a head football coach.

"We've had a great time here and it is an absolutely beautiful place to raise a family. We live right across the street from the gym. It's really been a perfect job and we've had a great time here," Bartlow said.

Bartlow said the decision to leave was "gut-wrenching" and hard to accept, but he is pleased with what has been done and accomplished during his time here. He also appreciates the unique opportunities his position has afforded his own family.

"Coaching the football team to take the state title in 2011 with my son as quarterback was amazing. It blows my mind that that happened. I wouldn't have experienced that if I hadn't moved from Pioneer," he said.

But now that his children have all graduated high school, Bartlow said he was ready for something new. "I heard about the opening at Pi-Hi while I was at a coach's training in Yakima and I knew I had to throw my hat into the ring," he said.

"This is a great opportunity to get back into what I was trained to do more than anything. I have a real compassion and heart for troubled and needy kids. Even in my coaching style I try to help people with what I think is important. It's who I am," Bartlow said.

At 53, Bartlow said a more administrative position is a good challenge and he is excited about jumping back into the counseling world. He said there are seven or eight staff members who are still there from when he first worked at Pi-Hi.

"I can see myself doing this for the next nine years. It's great to return to where I started and finish what I didn't finish here," he said.

Bartlow said he is giving up coaching – at least for a year. He said he has been either coaching or playing for 39 years straight, and is taking this year off. His son Zach is in his senior year playing quarterback for Eastern Oregon University, and the break will afford the Bartlows the opportunity to follow Zach's games.

Bartlow said he may return to coaching, but it would likely be at Pioneer rather than in Waitsburg, due to time constraints. "If I do anything here, it would have to be helping with Little Giants or a Little League team," he said.

"I just really want to thank the community of Waitsburg for embracing the Bartlow family. We have been embraced here. I want to thank the school district, staff, parents, and especially the athletes," he said.

Bartlow said he and his wife, Lori, who works as the Waitsburg Middle School secretary and athletic director, plan to remain in town for at least a year, if not longer. He said they will continue their involvement with the YoungLife ministry, but are hoping to find new leadership.

Bartlow's resignation was accepted at the Aug. 10 school board meeting. Superintendent Carol Clarke told the board she has a policy of not standing in the way of career advancement or change, so long as a suitable replacement can be found. She recommended that the board accept Bartlow's resignation without stipulations.

Bartlow's departure leaves the district scrambling to fill positions for a physical education teacher, head coach for middle school football, head coach for middle school boy's basketball, head coach for high school track and field, and coaching supervisor. Clarke said applications have already started to trickle in.