By Helper Middle School Staff
Helper Middle School is honored to have Mika Salas as principal. She started her teaching career at South Davis Jr. High in 1998. In 1999, she came to the Carbon School District, where she has worked as a math teacher and math specialist until becoming the principal at HMS in 2013.
Coming back to HMS as the principal was a special homecoming for Mika; not only did she attend HMS as a student herself, she also previously taught here as a math teacher. Mika is a truly unique and amazing individual. She genuinely cares about every single person in her building and makes it a point to have personal conversations with students and staff. Everyone who has ever attended or worked at HMS are considered family, and Mika is often heard saying “Once a Ram, always a Ram.” This individual attention is the foundation of the success here at HMS.
Mrs. Salas believes all students are special and believes in helping them find their strengths. She is invested in the success of the students, and she believes in their potential to learn. She greets students in the morning when they get off the bus and takes the time to talk to them during lunch each day to see how they are doing. Mrs. Salas enjoys spending time at extra-curricular activities and special events. She takes time to recognize them for their achievements and improvements. She listens carefully to students and does all she can to make sure they have what they need to be successful.
Mrs. Salas is an exceptional administrator, implementing new procedures and programs, a few of them being an effective behavior plan, and a tiered intervention system that are making huge differences in the lives of many students. She is a positive leader, supportive and easy to work with. She is energetic, outgoing and goal driven. Mika is a positive leader, modeling what she expects from all staff. She is very conscientious, helpful and encouraging, always open to suggestions, and is aware of the needs of teachers. She has recently come from the classroom and understands what is realistic and attainable in a classroom. She requires teachers to stretch and sometimes break out of regular routine and try new strategies, always there with praise and helpful constructive strategies when needed.
One of the greatest contributions that Mrs. Salas has made to the Carbon County school system is creating an environment where teachers like to come to work. They feel her full support and can go to her with any questions or concerns, and know that she will listen and follow through with a solution. She often shares personal notes of gratitude for the efforts of her staff. Mika is also as tough as nails; she is not afraid to have honest conversations with students and staff as well. She is the perfect combination of wit, intelligence, drive, ambition, love and toughness that is needed to make a school successful and we are all lucky every day to work for such an outstanding, one-of-a-kind person.
Mika loves and adores her family. She is the wife of Lt. Steve Salas, and the mother of two amazing children Gracie and Bode Salas. We thank our lucky stars that they share her with us!