New Principals Named for Both Ankeny and Centennial High Schools

Three Ankeny school district administrators will take on new roles this summer following an announcement made this morning by the district superintendent.

At a special assembly held Tuesday for staff members, Superintendent Matthew Wendt announced the new principal for Ankeny Centennial High School, which is scheduled to open in August 2013.

Filling the position is Jen Lindaman, currently the district's director of secondary education.

"My heart is pounding, and I'm so full of emotion," Lindaman said. "I don't see this (transition) as a division. I know in my heart this is right for kids.

"This is an opportunity for all of us to celebrate, embrace and have a moment of sadness, but it will hopefully be a moment in time we can all look back on and be proud of."

Wendt also announced that current Ankeny High School Principal Brenda Colby will assume a new position within the district on July 1. Her vacated role will be filled by Jeff Hawkins, who is an associate principal at the high school.

"I'm so excited to step into this new role," Hawkins told staff members. "I'm excited to be in a position to help the district work through this transition."

Colby will assume a new position which will oversee the development of educational programs within the district for at-risk students. This is something Colby is passionate about, she said.

"I always knew we could do more, but there simply wasn't time or the resources," Colby said. "This will be very different. I love the kids and the teachers here, but this was an opportunity I could not pass up."

Wendt said Colby is the right person for the job.

"This district wants to bring these types of programs into our system and we needed good leadership to make that happen," Wendt said. "We can be more efficient with our at-risk dollars if we're not sending students out of the district."