A Sad Goodbye
By Cyndal Harris & Savanah Baugh
After six years of being the leader at DeKalb High School, Mr. Hansen has decided that it is time to say goodbye and begin a new journey as the assistant superintendent of Savannah School District. Before coming here, he was a teacher for thirteen years in Omaha and was the principal at Spring Garden for two years after that. For Mr. Hansen, the biggest surprise for him coming from Spring Garden was the lunchroom behavior coming from a noisy and rambunctious lunchtime to a quiet and peaceful time where everyone simply sat at their tables and ate their lunches with little talking. Another shock for him when he came to DeKalb High School was seeing the various ways kids could wear cowboy boots.
Despite the culture shock he experienced when he first arrived at the high school, he will still miss the time he spent at DeKalb. When he was asked what he would miss the most about being here once he left, he said that he was going to miss the people that he has grown close to, such as students and staff. DeKalb is a very small community, therefore, it is very close. Mr. Hansen believes that everyone here is like family.
During his years as a principal, Mr. Hansen has done many things for the school that he is very proud of. Some of the things that he’s proud of are the staff and professional development, and he is very pleased with the high scores from testing. Since he has been here, the test scores have become much higher.
Although it will be sad for Mr. Hansen to say goodbye to everyone, he is still excited to start his new journey. He says that more than anything, he is looking forward to the challenge of an administrative role in a bigger district. While DeKalb has only around 120 students, Savannah High School currently has 760 students. This will definitely provide a change of pace, another thing that Mr. Hansen is looking forward to when he begins his career there.
Because Mr. Hansen has gained so much experience in his various jobs in schools, he has been able to learn a lot of lessons throughout the years. One of the biggest lessons he has learned is to tackle everything with fairness and consistency. Mr. Hansen believes that this will help prepare himself for becoming a superintendent. He also thinks that is what so many of the students appreciate about him.
There are many things in this school that haven’t changed much over the years, such as the closeness of the students and staff, the sportsmanship and love for the game, and the community around the schools. Because of all of this, Mr. Hansen found it hard to take a school that was already great and make it even better, yet he has.
Throughout Mr. Hansen’s years as a principal, he has seen a lot of students come and go. When asked what mark he wanted to leave on the school he said, “I hope that maybe kids can see that they can shoot for the stars and what hard work can do. I hope to leave a school full of kids that will become great people.” Even though Mr. Hansen is leaving, he will always be remembered as the most considerate, fair and fun principal. He will also be remembered for how he strived to make students successful.