Erik Ramstad Middle School principal Ione Sautner plans to retire this summer after more than 40 years as an educator, but not without some regret.

“I’m going to be sad to be done,” said Sautner. “There have been very few days that I haven’t wanted to be at work. My career has been so rich.”

Sautner grew up in Sherwood and began her teaching career in Buffalo, S.D. She later taught kindergarten in Rugby for one year and then at North Plains Elementary at Minot Air Force Base for 15 years.

Sautner said she knew early on that she would like to become a school administrator. She benefited from an internship program offered by the Minot Public Schools in the 1990s that helped develop administrators within the district. She went on to become an elementary principal at Surrey Elementary in 1999. She remained there for two years and then was hired as assistant principal at Erik Ramstad Middle School and later as principal at Longfellow Elementary and Washington Elementary. She became the head principal at Ramstad soon after the 2011 flood that devastated Minot and destroyed the first Ramstad Middle School.

“When Jim Tschetter had retired at Ramstad and we were looking for someone to fill those shoes … Ione’s name quickly rose to the top of the list of candidates,” said Minot Public Schools Superintendent Mark Vollmer.

Vollmer said they knew that they would need someone with Sautner’s experience to lead the school through the transition period after the flood. Classes were held for a year and a half at the Minot Municipal Auditorium while a new school was constructed in northwest Minot.

Sautner had earlier overseen the transition from the old Washington Elementary building to the new school building in a renovated medical clinic in southeast Minot.

Her years at Washington Elementary and then later at Erik Ramstad Middle School have been years defined by rapid growth in student numbers and change.

“We started (at the new Washington) with empty classrooms and we ended with nine classrooms outside the building,” said Sautner.

However, she said her focus has always been on how best to educate the children who came through the school doors. She said it is very much a team effort and she has worked with a dedicated and talented staff of teachers.

“What I’ve enjoyed the most is working with students, watching them learn and find success,” she said.

Sautner said she is not one to toot her own horn, but Vollmer was quick to offer praise.

“Ione has been a wonderful educator who has constantly worked at keeping herself not only current with educational trends but leading the way in doing the best we can to educate the students in the city of Minot,” said Vollmer, who has worked with Sautner for 14 years and served with her on different committees. “Ione has always held very high expectations for her staff but she is one of those leaders who would never expect her staff to do something she would not do herself … she has a wonderful laugh and is a very positive person.”

In addition to being co-workers, Vollmer said he and Sautner are good friends.

Sautner said the support of her family has also been crucial to her career success.

She obtained advanced degrees while teaching full time and juggling her family responsibilities.

“It took me five years to do each of them because I had little kids,” said Sautner.

She said her husband, Stu, and her children made some sacrifices so she could devote time to her education and career.

Now she will have more time to devote to them.

When she retires at the end of the school year, Sautner plans to spend more time with her children and grandchildren. She also looks forward to traveling and possibly to a part-time job or volunteer work to keep busy. She said she and her husband are considering a move closer to where one of her daughters lives.

(Prairie Profile is a weekly feature profiling interesting people in our region. We welcome suggestions from our readers. Call Editor Mike Sasser at 857-1959 or Regional Editor Eloise Ogden at 857-1944. Either can be reached at 1-800-735-3229. You also can send e-mail suggestions to msasser@minotdailynews.com.