- Dr. Olson has remained a leader and innovator while serving as the
principal of Prior Lake High School. He displays a true dedication and
shows a high level of commitment to making Prior Lake High School an
enjoyable experience for staff, students, and community members. Most
importantly, Dr. Olson strives to make sure that all students are valued and
makes sure that all their needs are met. One way he has done this is
through the encouragement of in-school groups. Whether it be Student
Council, the National Honor Society, S.O.S., Link Crew, or the many other
established groups and organizations, he shows a high level of support to
these groups and promotes them in all that they do. He has been a
vital part in the foundation of the new high school. He has helped to
create an atmosphere at this school which promotes unity, school spirit, and
compassion. He is constantly brainstorming on how to improve upon our
school in order to create an even more pleasurable experience. Just as
a great leader and teacher, he always puts others before himself and
displays a high level of modesty, deserving much more credit than is often
times given. It is for this reasons that he be recognized for his
accomplishments and acts of generosity through his positive attitude and
strong and admirable character. It was an honor to have Dr. Olson
serve as principal of Prior Lake High School for so many years and through
his actions, he has left a legacy at this school which will never be
forgotten.
- As an alumnus of Prior Lake High School, I had the blessing of knowing
and actually being able to work with Dr. Olson on a couple of occasions.
What a wonderful pleasure and honor those experiences were! During
my various encounters with Dr. Olson, I always enjoyed his enthusiasm and
joy of working with students. His positive, upbeat, approachable
personality made students feel at ease around him. His sense of
humor is also a refreshing aspect of his personality. Dr. Olson's
staunch support of the Green Bay Packers amidst strong Vikings supporters
has frequently been the amusement of the staff and students of Prior Lake
High School. A prominent example of Dr. Olson's sense of humor
radiating forth concerns the time when some teachers filled Dr. Olson's
office with Vikings accessories and hung his Green Bay Packer's jersey on
the highest point in the cafeteria. Dr. Olson's wide sense of humor
has embellished the high school environment over the years.
Dr. Olson's life has been a commitment to serving others. With his
earlier experience as a member of the Peace Corps, Dr. Olson carried this
devotion to service into his life career and beyond. Not only has Dr.
Olson dedicated more than 20 years of his career to the Prior Lake-Savage
educational community, but he has also shown his commitment to service
through advising Prior Lake's chapter of Habitat for Humanity, staunchly
supporting the Prior Lake chapter of National Honor Society, and many
others.
Dr. Olson's commitment to the betterment of the Prior Lake-Savage area
students has been vividly prevalent over the years. Dr. Olson's
retirement is an especially saddening loss to the community and this
community will never be the same without you Dr. Olson. Thank you Dr.
Olson for your exceptional dedication to the Prior Lake-Savage community.
You have touched many lives over the years and you made each life you
touched better.
- Dr. Olson is the perfect candidate for Ragan's Wall. He has made a huge
impact on the community and is the best principal any high school could ask
for. Dr. Olson always makes it a point to be involved with his
students, and to get them involved as well. There is not a single
school sponsored event that I have attended without seeing him there
enjoying the show or cheering on the team. He is a principal who
truly cares for all of his students' well-being, and makes that fact
clear to them. He works his hardest to make sure that everyone has the
opportunity to succeed. He also helps to run the Habitat for Humanity
program through the school in order to give students the opportunity to help
out less fortunate families in the surrounding communities. There is
not a single student at Prior Lake High School that has anything bad or
critical to say about Dr. Olson. His students care for him just as
much as he cares for all of them. Dr. Olson deserves above all other
candidates to be awarded the honor of being on Ragan's Wall because he is a
generous and admirable man that students can learn a lot from.
- Dr. Olson's character, attitude, humor and generosity of time and
talents for over 20 years have contributed immensely to the PLHS community.
His curiosity about learning, exploring and growing have been a role model
that has inspired countless students and staff members on their journeys of
discovery.
In particular, his interest in preserving opportunities and encouragement
for individual students has been outstanding. He has been proud of our
students accomplishments and successes in academics and activities and has
supported efforts to challenge every students with academic rigor and high
standards. He gets equally excited about the accomplishments and
successes of all students and staff.
Dr. Olson ahs been a booster of opportunities of excellence for students
across the range of potentials. Every student needs challenges geared
to their level of interest and abilities. Dr. Olson has long been a
strong advocate of the school's responsibility of providing those challenges
for all students. His personal background and experience with teaching
in the Peace Corps has provided a rich source of stories and anecdotes for
him to make reference to; but he has always sought to expand and grow his
own knowledge and experiences outside of the formal classroom. He has
accompanied music groups on their travels, worked in the summers with the
People to People student exchange program, and started the PLHS chapter of
Habitat for Humanity.
Students (and staff) are often impressed with his friendliness and eagerness
to engage in conversation. He can stop in the hall and talk with
students about the music of the Grateful Dead or Metallica, then stop in a
classroom to observe students studying the endocrine system. Five
minutes later, he'll be meeting with parents about a disciplinary concern or
providing the district office with logical statements on the impact of
proposed budgets on the curriculum and student learning.
Few people have had as great an impact on the climate and community of Prior
Lake High School as Dr. Craig Olson. With great pride and honor, I
submit his name for consideration to be part of Ragan's Wall.
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