Washington Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Auburn Adventist Academy regrets to announce the passing of incoming principal Ken Smith.

Smith planned to join the Washington Conference education team from his 11-year tenure in Wisconsin Conference. As a seasoned educator, he had experience in all grade levels of teaching as well as elementary and secondary administration. Close to his heart: high school academics.

While in Wisconsin, Smith served three schools: Milwaukee Seventh-day Adventist School, Green Bay Adventist Jr. Academy and Wisconsin Academy.

In a career legacy tribute from June 4, 2024, Wisconsin Conference noted their respect for his career, how his team called him the “finest administrator they had ever worked with,” and how educators felt listened to and empowered.

“One of his areas of strength is campus facility improvement,” they wrote. “In all three schools, Ken has left each looking better than the way he found it. His accomplishments ranged from beautifying the campus to major maintenance projects.”

Some local volunteers valued Smith so much, Wisconsin Conference said, that when they replaced the old foot bridge across the Crawfish River, the new bridge was named in his honor: “Ken’s Crossing.”

Over his career, Smith has taught on every level of education from first grade to college, in schools from Alaska to Florida and been an administrator of small schools and junior academies for 27 years. He also spent 12 years teaching at two Adventist boarding academies, Forest Lake Academy in Florida and Valley Grande Academy in Texas.

Smith held a Bachelor of Arts in religion with certifications to teach religion, history, educational technology, and elementary education.

Smith had initially planned to retire from Wisconsin Academy at the end of this last school year. He intended to retire in Idaho to be closer to family. However, Washington Conference called with an invitation to serve at Auburn Adventist Academy.

In an introductory interview for his upcoming role at Auburn Adventist Academy, Smith said, “My primary goal, the reason we run Adventist schools, is to introduce kids to Christ. We create our next group of leaders.”

Smith was in route to Washington when he experienced a medical emergency. Given the severity of his illness, he alerted academy and conference leaders that he was not able to serve as the next principal.

The AAA Personnel Committee met late last week to discuss the best steps for moving forward for the academy and asked Michelle Wachter, Washington Conference vice president for education, to serve as principal. She will add Auburn Academy responsibilities to her current work portfolio.

“Please keep the Smith family in your prayers,” Wachter requested. “It has been a privilege to hear more about the love and dedication Ken had for Adventist Education for many decades through stories the family shared with me this week. Even when he was very sick in the hospital, Ken asked how things were going at the academy for getting ready for this upcoming school year. In the short time I had the honor of getting to know him, it was evident that he was a man of integrity, a prayer warrior, and a cheerleader for students.”