Anderson excited to take over as BCLUW HS principal

CONRAD- Jackson Anderson is moving from one Grundy County school district to another, and he couldn’t be more excited to make the transition.

Anderson, a New Hampton native and Wartburg graduate who has taught at Gladbrook-Reinbeck for the last several years, was recently announced as the next high school principal at BCLUW effective at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year. He currently serves as a special education teacher and helped to launch an alternative education program at G-R, where he also coached cross-country.

“This was all pretty brand new to me when I came down to Grundy County. It’s been a learning experience, but I’ve gotten to know a lot of people. And I’ve built some really great relationships,” he said. “I’m really excited about the opportunities at BCLUW. It sounds like we’ve got some awesome things in place for students. I’ve heard nothing but great things about the staff.”

Amidst the backdrop of the global COVID-19 pandemic, it’s an interesting time to transition between jobs, to say the least. But Anderson is looking forward to taking on his first administrative role while building relationships across the district’s five communities. He recalled previous positive interactions with BCLUW students and families during his time at G-R and is excited to join that group in the fall.

“When I interviewed, I didn’t get to see the hallways filled with students, so that’s kind of a bummer. You get a really good feel for what the students think of they’re school (when they’re in class),” he said. “And I’m not going to get to give a formal goodbye to the students I’m working with at G-R right now, so that’s a little challenging.”

BCLUW Superintendent Ben Petty touted Anderson’s background in teaching and curriculum as one of the key reasons he was hired.

“We're excited to have Jackson joining us at BCLUW.  Our hiring team was very impressed with Jackson's experiences as a Success Coordinator/Teacher and his leadership skills.  He's a very good communicator and comes highly regarded as someone that builds strong relationships with others and is really driven to see students succeed,” Petty said. “We think Jackson is going to be a great fit at BCLUW, and we’re looking forward to having him join us this fall!”

As he prepares to become a high school principal, Anderson credits his mentor, G-R High School Principal Andy McQuillen, as one of the best people he could have possibly learned from, and he’s had help along the way from other administrators in the area.

Outside of work, he enjoys riding his bike and being outside as much as possible, and Anderson is excited to connect with the Comet family in his new role.

“I’m really excited about joining the BCLUW communities and partnering up with teachers, students and businesses to do what’s best for kids,” he said.