By LEAH WEATHERSBY

When Ingraham High School students begin classes this fall, they will be greeted by a new principal who is no stranger to the school.

Steve Wilson, who formerly served as Ingraham's principal from 1980-1988, has been appointed to be the school's interim principal for the 2002-2003 school year.

Wilson replaces Gloria Izard-Baldwin, 63. who surprised Ingraham teachers, parents and students when she announced her retirement June 30, ending a 10-year stint as principal at Ingraham.

Her sudden departure left the School District scrambling to find a replacement. Most experienced principals already had a job for the coming school year, explained School District Superintendent Joseph Olchefske.

"Trying to find a high school principal at anytime is always a challenge," Olchefske told a gathering of more than 50 Ingraham teachers and parents on July 23. "We have some real work ahead of us."

Fortunately, it turned out someone was already interested in the job

Wilson said as soon as he heard there was an opening at Ingraham, he contacted the School District to express his interest in returning to his former post.

Wilson, who had been principal at a high school in Tucson, Ariz., said he and his wife wanted to move back to Seattle because they have three daughters living in this area.

He is a Seattle native who attended both Ballard High and the University of Washington. During Wilson's tenure as principal at Ingraham in the 1980s, the school was recognized as a winner of the National Schools Recognition Program (Blue Ribbon Schools) and Wilson himself was selected for the Excellence in Education award from the State of Washington.

He also is a four-time recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. award for contributions to the minority community of Seattle.

Wilson's other honors include Regional Administrator of the Year in 1996 and the Washington State Excellence in Education Award in 1987.

But there has been has been a big change at Ingraham since Wilson was there last: a dramatic drop in student enrollment.

Wilson said when he left Ingraham, the school had about 1,800 students. This coming school year, the school is only expected to have an enrollment of about 1,000 students.

"I think there are some negative perceptions in the community (about Ingraham) that are incredibly inaccurate," Wilson said. He added that the school is slated for improvements to both the building and the curriculum (with the addition of the International Baccalaureate academic program), in the coming year.

"I think (International Baccalaureate) can be a tremendous magnet for us," Wilson said. Olchefske told the group of Ingraham parents and staff in July that the district was looking to hire a principal who could head Ingraham for many years, even though the new principal would likely only receive a one-year contract for starters.

Wilson, 60, said he's not ready for retirement yet. If his contract is renewed, he said he's prepared to stay at Ingraham for the next five years.

Ingraham is located at 1819 N. 135th St., in the Haller Lake neighborhood.