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Jonas is set to fill some big shoes |
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Wednesday, 20 August 2008 |
 By ELLEN MORTENSEN
Chief Assistant Editor
As Broken Bow elementary students entered the halls of Custer and North Park schools this week, they were greeted by a new face. Kim Jonas is the new elementary principal, filling the position vacated by retiring long-time principal, Ross Ridenour.
While serving in an administrative capacity in the Broken Bow school system is new to Jonas, the school itself is not. Though the students she will be overseeing do not know her, most of the teachers she is working with do. Jonas spent several years teaching in Broken Bow about six years ago.
Jonas grew up in the country near Holdrege and attended a small country school during her elementary years. She graduated from Loomis High School, and went on to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she received her bachelors degree in social work.
After a short time working in that field, Jonas realized that wasn’t the right avenue for her.
“I always wanted to work with kids,” Jonas explained. “I took a job as a para and knew right away the school setting was for me.”
She went back to school at UNK, getting her endorsements in elementary education and special education. Her first teaching job was actually in Broken Bow, where she was hired as a special education teacher. She eventually moved in to fourth grade, where she taught for seven years at Custer Elementary.
Jonas says it was while she was teaching at Custer that she made the decision to further her education, after being encouraged by the school’s administration to pursue administration herself.
She went back to UNL and got her education administration degree, and six years ago made the move from teaching to ESU 10, working in professional development. She served in that area until being hired as Broken Bow principal.
While at ESU 10, Jonas worked with several federal programs, including No Child Left Behind, Title I, Title IV and Reading First. However, she says she began to miss working more closely with the students.
“At ESU 10 you knew you were impacting lives, but you never got to actually see it,” says Jonas. “I’m looking forward to that.”
She is also looking forward to the challenge of her new position, and to working with many of her former co-workers. Jonas says she does not anticipate any issues with the staff as she goes from being co-teacher to administrator, and says she feels her 6-year stint at ESU will make that transition easier.
“Any new job is a little bit intimidating,” says Jonas. “It will take some time for everyone to get used to some of the changes; Ross and I have a little different style. But I think the transition will be pretty smooth. I have big shoes to fill - but I am up for it!”
Kim, and her husband Todd, are joint owners of Central Nebraska Electric in Ansley, and have two children; Emily, 5, will start kindergarten this year, and Lilly is 2. |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 28 August 2008 )
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