Stockdale takes the reins at D-NH

To call the superintendent position at Dike-New Hartford Justin Stockdale’s dream job might actually be an understatement. For nearly a decade now, he’s been chomping at the bit for an opportunity to apply.
           
“The excitement for me is to build upon the strong foundation that we have and help move us forward,” he said. “I can’t describe the excitement that comes with being able to be a part of something that you’ve long aspired to be a part of and to make a difference.” 
           
Stockdale, who has lived in Dike with his wife Maureen since 2005 and has three sons in the school system, comes to the top administrative job with a host of previous experience at Vinton-Shellsburg, College Community (the district serving the southwest edge of Cedar Rapids and surrounding communities), Union of La Porte City, the Bremwood alternative school in Waverly and most recently the Central Rivers Area Education Agency (AEA) in Cedar Falls.
           
As an Aplington native whose wife graduated from D-NH, Stockdale is already intimately familiar with the area, and current Grundy Center Superintendent Neil Mullen served as his mentor when he was the elementary principal at La Porte City. Beyond Mullen, the incoming leader has forged relationships with A-P’s Jon Thompson, shared Gladbrook-Reinbeck/North Tama Superintendent David Hill, Tony Voss at Hudson and his predecessor Larry Hunt, who recently accepted a job in Anamosa.
           
“There isn’t any superintendent within our contiguous districts that I wouldn’t know and/or be able to call. I think that’s important,” Stockdale said. “I think everybody has the same mission, and it’s to put a good product out there for kids and give the best support we can. I think that was the draw to this position.”
           
Against the grain of most rural Iowa districts, D-NH’s enrollment has actually increased in the last 10 years thanks largely to the proximity to the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area and a pair of new housing developments—one at the Fox Ridge Golf Course in Dike and another at Deer Trail north of New Hartford. 
 
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