Principal saw role as helping students grow

Craig Olson, principal of Prior Lake High School in Savage, once likened his job to that of a gardener, saying he sought to plant seeds of knowledge and tend to the tender shoots to help young people grow into productive citizens.

Olson, who was also instrumental in the design and completion of the new high school in the Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools district, died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) on Sunday at his Shakopee home. He was 54.

Once in training, he said educators have the tasks of "seed planting and weed pulling," said his former boss, Tom Westerhaus, superintendent of Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools.

"Craig Olson was above all else an ethical leader, true to his beliefs and high standards," Westerhaus said.

He was a Habitat for Humanity volunteer who also was chosen to help oversee the new school's construction, taking a two to three years' leave from his principal's duties.

The high school, which opened in the fall of 2003, has curving walls, relieving congestion between classes, and few hallways, reducing staff supervision of students. A large commons area with natural light is the gathering place for lunch, and it includes a money-saving heating system.

"He made it a wonderful, usable space for our students, saving taxpayer dollars," said Westerhaus.

Olson believed that the principal and other staffers should interact with their students, and that was made easier by the design of the building he helped create.

Westerhaus said he was careful about the landscaping to minimize the impact of the building site on wetlands. And he gathered crews of volunteers to rid the grounds of invasive buckthorn.

At the old Prior Lake High, the students had a graffiti rock. They wanted it moved to the new site, and Olson arranged for it. This week it's tagged with an homage to Olson.

He was a classically trained pianist who had a fondness for rock guitar and Led Zeppelin.

Emily Ufken, a 2004 graduate, said he "cared about every single one" of his students.

The Darlington, Wis., native was a former natural sciences teacher. He earned three degrees at the University of Wisconsin, including his doctorate in education administration in 1985.

He spent more than two years teaching and serving as the head of a village school near Nyeri, Kenya, as a member of the Peace Corps.

He took a leave of absence from his principal's post in October 2006, after his illness was diagnosed. A few months later, he left the job for good.

He is survived by his wife of 23 years, Mary Stuesser of Shakopee; a daughter, Bryn and a son, Ian, both of Shakopee; two sisters, Kirsten of Collegeville, Pa., and Ingrid of Platteville, Wis. and two brothers, Kim of Mount Vernon, Wash., and Kirk of Darlington.