Dr. Szlanda enjoying his last school year as head principal at Hastings High.
Many students and faculty are unaware that Dr. Szlanda taught business classes for nine years at Hastings High prior to becoming an assistant principal in 2009. He then became the head principal after former principal Mr. Opperman left Hastings in 2016.
“The key difference is assistant principals address the majority of student discipline issues. The principal runs the building leading school improvement, teaching and learning, managing the budget, and care of the facility,” Dr. Szlanda said.
While being a principal, Dr. Szlanda has experienced many ups and downs at Hastings High. In both the head principal and assistant principal positions, his least favorite part of the job was disciplining students.
“My favorite part of being head principal is observing students and teachers grow and learn. My favorite part of being assistant principal was when I would work with a student and their behavior(s) would change. They would have some success and positive experiences. Success breeds success and they know they can accomplish their goals,” Dr. Szlanda said.
After being head principal for the past six years, Dr. Szlanda decided to try something new next year, accepting the human resources position.
“It’s a great opportunity to work in a different capacity for Hastings Public Schools,” Dr. Szlanda said.
Dr. Szlanda will take away many positive memories during his years at the high school.
Some of his favorites are, “Every graduation is memorable. It is a fun day and a great celebration for students, families, and educators, Class B State Wrestling Championship in 2020, and Class B State Track & Field Championship in 2021,” Dr. Szlanda said.
Dr. Szlanda will miss the students and staff at Hastings High. Although, he is anticipating the next chapter of his career.
“I will be working with all employees on the day-to-day planning and implementation of services to assist students, faculty and staff. I’m looking forward to helping more faculty and staff that can then help all students in Hastings Public Schools,” Dr. Szlanda said.
