'A great district with great people'

Blake Wendt always had an eye on school administration.

The Le Mars native grew up in a family with strong ties to K-12 education. His father was a superintendent, his mom was a high school principal, one of his grandfathers was an administrator and both of his grandmothers were teachers.

With that type of lineage, Wendt's career path is really no surprise.

"I knew I wanted to be a teacher," he said. "I loved my time in the classroom but I always had a heart for administration. I decided that it was time for me to continue my career in education by going down the administrative path."

Wendt started his new role as principal of Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School on July 1. He previously taught math at Chamberlain, S.D., and later Okoboji, where he served for the past three years.

When considering the jump to administration, Wendt had three non-negotiable requirements: the job had to be in northwest Iowa, it had to be at a good school with a good reputation, and the district had to have good people to work with.

"With H-M-S, I found a place that firmly fit these three criteria," he said. "Teaching in Okoboji, I knew of the good reputation H-M-S had and that there were a lot of really good things going on here. I knew once I met the great people here, I had found the place I wanted to be."

Wendt believes he'll be able to pick up where his predecessor, Nate Hemiller, left off.

"My goal for the school is to continue to build the great culture we want our students to grow in during their time with us," he said. "I want all students and families in the area to be able to look at H-M-S and recognize a world class school that offers students a world class education. I want the students who graduate from H-M-S to become successful and productive members of our society."

Wendt said his leadership style and familiarity with northwest Iowa makes him a good fit for the job at H-M-S.

"We have a great staff established at the high school and I look forward to watching these dedicated and professional educators work with our students," he said.

The new principal is looking forward to getting started and meeting parents, students and community members in the weeks ahead. Wendt explained that he has no immediate areas of concern at the high school, and is instead focusing on familiarizing himself with the district.

"I plan to take some time to get to know people and the systems in place, and then work with the great staff here to implement any changes needed to make sure the education we are providing is what best fits what our students need," he said.

Student achievement data, curriculum, staff issues and other school-related duties aren't the only things that make Wendt tick. In his free time, he enjoys hunting, fishing, and spending time with his family and friends.

He was eager to get going at H-M-S.

"H-M-S is a great district with great people," Wendt said. "I am so excited to be here and cannot wait to get started. I am looking forward to getting to know the people who live in our district and working with them to help maintain and grow the reputation of our great school."

Wendt is one of two new administrators at H-M-S this year – Heidi Douma took the reigns at the middle school once the calendar flipped to July. H-M-S Superintendent Patrick Carlin was pleased with both hires and believed the duo would lead their respective schools to success.

"They are both people with high integrity, are team oriented, extremely knowledgeable and passionate about providing a top-notch education to all students," he said. "Although they have served different roles than principal in the past, they have demonstrated high levels of effective leadership in many aspects of their careers."