POULSBO — New Poulsbo Elementary School principal Tim Garrison greeted students as they piled off buses on the first day of school Wednesday. Even before the first bell rang, the 10-year educator was thinking up ways to give the school a friendlier, community feel.

It’s the kind of work that can’t be done behind a desk, but a challenge Garrison relished in his prior positions.

“He came in to the lunch room one day with instruments and a recording device and he and the students recorded music,” said teacher Erik Caruso, who worked alongside Garrison at the Harry Wirtz Elementary School in Paramount, Calif. “He does what he can to make school more enjoyable.”

Garrison was hired as the principal of Poulsbo Elementary on July 1, replacing interim principal Glen Robbins, and wasted no time in adding his own touch to the school.

On Wednesday, Garrison had students and their teachers stay in the classroom and get to know each other on the first day of school, instead of holding a typical assembly. The change emphasized a community feel from the start, he said.

During the hiring process for the position, the search committee was looking for someone who, could contribute to the schools guiding principles, said District Director of Elementary Education Patricia Moore.

“His ideas of creating a more community feel fall right into our school district,” Moore said.

Garrison said he is already impressed by the commitment the parents have to providing their children with quality education and will work with the programs available to continue that support, he said.

“It is incredible to see the amount of programs available in this school district,” Garrison said. “People here obviously care about education and want to see it thrive.”

Since he was young Garrison knew he wanted to work in the education field and once he became an educator, he tackled problems head on, Caruso said. People sometimes take principal positions to get out of the classroom, but Garrison just wants to be able to change the classroom, he said.

“At heart Garrison is still a teacher,” Caruso said.

Garrison has more than 10 years of experience working as both a teacher and principal. He spent the majority of his career in California, where he dealt with lower budgets than in the North Kitsap School District, which has prepared him for challenges that may arise in the future, he said.

Although the duties of a principal often require a business attitude, Garrison promises not to sit behind a desk all day, he said.

“We are so excited to have Garrison on our team,” Moore said. “It’s only the first week of school and I already have people coming up to me telling me what a great job he’s doing.”