West Principal Job Will Be A Homecoming For Kara Huisman

Kara Huisman is returning to Glenwood as the new principal at West Elementary.

Huisman was formally hired last Monday as the new principal at West Elementary School in Glenwood. The current K-12 curriculum professional development lead at the Treynor Community School District returns to the school she taught third grade at a decade ago. She is a 1994 Glenwood graduate.Huisman said the West position was one she’d long coveted.

“When I taught at West Elementary, I absolutely loved it,” she said. “The third through fifth building is the age I truly enjoy and there’s such a great staff that when that position opened up, it was kind of my ‘dream job.’ It was a great personal fit and the right time and situation for me.”

Huisman takes over for Genie O’Grady, who announced in January she was stepping down at the end of the year after a decade at the helm.In her current position at Treynor, Huisman’s duties include instructional coaching as well as fine-tuning instructional strategies to fit students and the curriculum. All duties that suit her well for her first principal job.“What truly fills my buckets is being able to watch kids and staff succeed at the highest level,” she said.

She steps into a position at a school coming off a stellar year. In 2022, West earned national recognition as a Blue Ribbon School. According to the U.S. Department of Education, West was one of only five schools in Iowa and 297 nationally to earn the prestigious designation.

“I’m just really excited to be a part of an elementary where that success is there and they have fantastic, experienced staff,” Huisman said. “Genie did a great job leading that staff and it’s exciting to step into a spot that’s had such great success.”