As she nears the finish line, Marsha Hanson isn’t merely taking things in stride.

The retiring La Conner high and middle school principal has a strong kick left.

Hanson was praised by Superintendent Tim Bruce and La Conner School Board members Monday night for her yeoman work this year overseeing a detailed school accreditation process.

“We really appreciate what she has taken on,” Bruce stressed. “The accreditation process is a lot of work.”

It will also be work finding a successor to Hanson, who administers two campuses simultaneously, one of which — the middle school — is in tra...