Edina Schools welcomes new year with fresh leadership
Edina Public Schools formally kicked off the 2024-2025 school year on August 25th with Superintendent Dr. Stacie Stanley welcoming families and staff, while introducing a new assistant superintendent focused on improving student experiences across the district.
Dr. Stacie Stanley, superintendent of Edina Public Schools, opened the meeting by expressing enthusiasm for the new school year ahead, emphasizing the district's vision for student discovery and growth. The welcome marked the official start of the academic year for the district's families and employees.
The superintendent introduced Nate Swanson as the new Assistant Superintendent of School Improvement and Innovation, a position he began on July 1st. Stanley highlighted Swanson's approachable leadership style and commitment to supporting the district's continued success, describing him as embodying the qualities of a "Hornet leader" — a reference to the district's mascot.
Swanson outlined his primary focus: working with school principals to ensure all students have an excellent experience. He emphasized that student perspectives are central to his work, noting he regularly speaks with students about their school experiences and transitions. During the meeting, he engaged directly with students, including discussions about their excitement for the new year and transitions to middle school. One student confirmed their move to Valley View Middle School for sixth grade, which Swanson expressed enthusiasm about. Another student raised a maintenance concern about a clock in the nurses office at Concord school, which Swanson noted for follow-up.
The meeting underscored the district's student-centered approach, with Swanson emphasizing that students are the reason the district exists. No votes were taken during this welcome meeting, which served primarily as an introduction to district leadership and the start of the new academic year.
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[0:10] Hello Edina Public Schools families and employees
this is Dr. Stacie Stanley Superintendent of Edina
[0:16] Public Schools and I am delighted to welcome
you to the start of the school year! It's a joy
[0:22] and honor to kick off another exciting chapter
of learning and growth together. I've had the
[0:28] pleasure of connecting with so many of you already
at all school staff kickoff and open houses and
[0:33] I'm truly energized by the shared enthusiasm for
the year ahead. One exciting addition to our team
[0:40] is our new Assistant Superintendent
of School Improvement and Innovation,
[0:44] Nate Swanson. Nate officially started July 1st and
has already had a chance to get to know students
[0:50] staff and parents across the district and some
of our students have taken an opportunity to get
[0:56] to know him a little better too. Take a look.
Are you nervous for this. No, you're not. I am.
[1:06] I'm nervous. You're like get to it Mr. Swenson.
What are you thinking about what do oh what
[1:11] do I need to know about Edina? The clock of the
nurses office room is is going by 5 seconds. Oh,
[1:20] it is. Yeah. That is important information for
me to know. I am going to look at that when
[1:26] I'm at Concord next. Cool. Are you excited
for your last year in elementary? No. No,
[1:32] how come? Because I'm going to miss the school.
Do you like being the new like superintendent
[1:41] or like assistant. Yeah so far I have really
really liked it and you want to know why? Why?
[1:49] It's because I've gotten to meet so many great
people and now students too because you're the
[1:57] reason the school district exists to begin
with. What do you got, Mac? What does the all
[2:04] meat pizza taste like? Good question. It depends
on the type of meat that's on it. What else do I
[2:13] need to know about Edina? What do you do as a like
assist like the superintendent like assistant or
[2:19] something? One of the most important things that
I do is support your principals. You guys know who
[2:26] your principal is for your school, right? Yeah.
And so that's one of the really important things
[2:31] that an assistant superintendent does is work with
principals to just make sure that the experience
[2:38] for kids is awesome. It has been so much fun
to talk to both of you thank you for doing
[2:44] this. Bacon. I love bacon. I like bacon. Do you?
I was a middle school principal for 17 years. Oh
[2:54] my. Yeah, so I am very familiar with new sixth
graders coming into a building and how nervous
[3:03] you can get. You guys will own the place after
a while, right. So tell me what I need to know
[3:10] about Edina. It's a really fun place. Is it?
Yeah. I sense that. I've gotten to meet quite
[3:19] a few people and I sense that. What else what
else do I need to know about Edina? Edina is
[3:26] like a really cool place like in my back yard
I have a creek. No way. Yeah! You're going into
[3:35] sixth grade so you're going to middle school.
Oh wow! Are you going to South View or Valley
[3:41] View? Valley View. Valley View yeah so are you
excited about it? Of course I am. Of course you
[3:49] are. I am super excited for you to go to middle
school. I'm glad you're excited too, Jacob. Yes I
[3:56] am. What questions do you have for me? What do
you do in work basically. I'm still trying to
[4:02] figure that out. No I'm just kidding. One of the
things that you should know about me is I used to
[4:06] be a teacher and so that's the whole reason why I
got into education is so I could spend time with
[4:13] you. All students are really really important to
me. Thank you, Jacob. Nice to meet you, Nicole.
[4:21] It's been wonderful to witness the many positive
interactions Nate has had with so many in our
[4:27] Hornet community. He's approachable, dedicated
and ready to champion the continued success
[4:34] of our district all characteristics of a true
Hornet leader. As we begin the new school year,
[4:41] I look forward to continuing our tradition
of excellence and realizing our Edina Public
[4:46] School's vision for each and every student
to discover their possibilities and thrive.
[4:52] Rest well and we'll see you soon for an
exciting start to the school year ahead.
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Other Topics from This Document
Introduction of Assistant Superintendent Nate Swanson
Assistant Superintendent's Role and Student Engagement
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