Marlin K. Lewis

Hamilton Middle School
Hamilton School District #3
Hamilton, Montana
lewism@hsd3.org

Marlin K. Lewis has served as principal of Hamilton Middle School since 2013. During this time, Lewis has enthusiastically and successfully helmed a major transformation at his school. At a time when the school was losing a number of students, which had a major impact on the school’s budget, Lewis recommended a district-wide reconfiguration that added around 130 new students to the study body. Undaunted by the addition of so many new students, Lewis used this as a chance to innovate, collaborating with staff to introduce exciting new STEM opportunities, civic education, and additional arts programming. Lewis’ thoughtful, data-driven focus on academic achievement has resulted in student assessment scores in reading and writing increasing by 10 percent over the last year. Under Lewis’ leadership, the school has also attained Platinum Status in the Montana Behavioral Initiative for the past three years, proof of the school’s focus on not just academic excellence but also social and behavioral growth. Lewis has a keen sense of the strengths and challenges inherent in leading a small-town school and has built links to the community through student service projects, clubs, and mentorship programs with local leaders. Colleagues describe Lewis as a welcoming and forward-thinking principal who will always go the extra mile to help students achieve. Lewis holds an Administrative Certification, a Master’s in Mathematics, and Bachelor’s in Mathematics from Montana State University.