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What is the Spotlight? This is our third in a series of posts designed to help you get to know our Knappa School District team better. We have so many wonderful people in our organization who are dedicated to serving the young people in our community, and we want to showcase how fortunate our students are to work with them. Enjoy! A Svensen Native. Mr. Miller grew up in Svensen, and attended both Hilda Lahti Elementary and Knappa High School. His mother was the HLE secretary and his father was the KHS counselor and football coach. Having both parents working in our schools he literally grew up IN the school. After High School. After high school, Miller attended Western Oregon University (Go Wolves). He majored in International Studies with an East Asia Focus. While in college, he had an opportunity to spend a year studying in Tokyo, Japan. He loves Japan and has visited many times. He met his wife-to-be at WOU and they married soon after graduation. Given that she is from Japan and he had studied there, they found their way back to Japan for three years after his graduation. He worked the Department of Education in Saga, Japan performing translation and teaching duties. Mr. Miller speaks and understands Japanese. Upon the end of his tenure in that position, he and his wife came back to the states. Having enjoyed teaching, he was at a juncture in his life where he tried to decide a course to take…continue in international business or pursue teaching? He decided to pursue a Masters of Arts in Teaching degree at Willamette University, and began teaching at Chapman Middle School in Sheridan School District. After doing that for a while, in 2000, due to family reasons, he decided to move back to Knappa. There were two social studies teaching positions available in the district and he chose the high school job. In addition, Mr. Miller is a senior advisor and a major volunteer for Knappa School District. About Living and Teaching in Knappa. He has loved the teaching profession, and feels privileged to work with such amazing teachers, both present and past. He has worked here long enough that his current Principal, Mr. Isom, was once his middle school student. He looks forward to work each day and absolutely loves his teaching colleagues at KHS. He also loves the supportive community in Knappa and how people will pitch in for anybody in need. On living and working in Knappa, he indicates he area is absolutely beautiful and there is a feeling of safety and security here that isn’t common elsewhere. He likes being able to “give back” to the community that raised him. When He Isn’t Teaching. Jeff likes being in the woods and by the ocean. He enjoys hiking, clamming, and crabbing. He and his wife, Akiko, are world travelers. They have been to Italy, Spain, France, England, Portugal, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and China. They also have visited about 40 states. Coaching. Mr. Miller was a three sport athlete in high school, and he says that many people assumed he would coach football when he began teaching at Knappa (following in Dad’s footsteps). He loves basketball, but the baseball opening came first. After one year as the baseball assistant coach, he became the head coach in 2001-2. During his tenure as the baseball coach, his teams won 16 league championships and 4 state championships. During his coaching career, he loved the day-to-day practices and the relationships formed with families. “I had the chance to observe Mr. Miller when he was coaching and he was really a teacher of the game. He showed patience, and taught athletes to make them better... skills, tactics, and mental aspects of the game.” says Superintendent Fritz. Mr. Miller ended his coaching career last spring and recently learned he will be invoked into the Oregon School Athletic Association Coaching Hall of Fame in 2026. Advice. Mr. Miller’s advice for teachers is to remain flexible, but be organized and prepared. He says it is essential to invest in quality relationships with students…the content will come later. To students, he advises them to get involved in their school. Knappa is a small school, so there is a place for everybody. He also wants to reiterate that students who graduate from Knappa can do anything and they shouldn’t feel inferior because they attend a smaller school. So many students he knows have done amazing things in life, and Knappa students, “shouldn’t sell themselves short.” Quotes. "What Mr. Miller did for me wasn’t just explain laws and elections. He taught me to question things, think critically, and stand behind what I believe with evidence. Most teachers just teach from a textbook. I’m thankful Mr Miller taught all of us about the real world." from a recent graduate who attends a private college and says that he was more prepared for college with his Knappa education than most of his classmates from large Portland-area schools "Jeff Miller is a great teacher who always pushed us and inspired us to look past our time here and helped us to see what else is out there for us." a recent alumnus who is studying Global Studies at University of Oregon

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