Sara Tempel, M.A., M.Ed.

Director/School Psychologist

stempel@bpc.k12.mt.us

I was born and raised in Missoula, Montana, and have been a lifelong Griz football fan. I earned my bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Montana, followed by a master's degree in School Psychology. My career began as a school psychologist with Great Falls Public Schools. After marrying my husband, Ron, a lifelong farmer, I made north-central Montana my home and joined the Bear Paw Special Education Cooperative family.

From 1994 through 2016, I worked part-time for the Cooperative while raising our family. During that time, I earned a second master's degree in Counselor Education from Montana State University–Northern and also served as a part-time school counselor for Chester-Joplin-Inverness Public Schools for several years. In 2016, I returned to the Cooperative full-time as a school psychologist, and in the fall of 2019, I was honored to become the Cooperative's Director.

Family has always been at the center of my life. Ron farms alongside our oldest son, Ryan, who represents the fourth generation of the Tempel family to steward the land first homesteaded by Ron's grandfather in 1912. Our second son, Bruce, serves as a Loadmaster with the Montana Air National Guard, and he and his wife, Amber, both teach at Chester-Joplin-Inverness Public Schools. Our youngest daughter, Ellyssa, and her husband, Cameron, live in Helena, Montana, where Ellyssa is a nursing instructor at Helena College and Cameron is an automotive service technician.

As I reflect on the path that has led me here, I am continually humbled by the guiding hand of Divine Providence. My career and life have unfolded in ways I never could have anticipated, providing opportunities to grow through both joyful and challenging experiences. Along the way, I have been richly blessed by three incredible families—my Whaley family, my Tempel family, and my Bear Paw Cooperative family. Each has filled my life with laughter, encouragement, purpose, and unwavering support. It is a privilege to serve the students, families, educators, and communities of north-central Montana, and I remain grateful every day for the opportunity to do work that I truly love.