BROOKINGS – Two Brookings schools – Mickelson Middle School and Dakota Prairie Elementary – will start the school year with new leaders.
A former instructional coach from Harrisburg, Shana Wagers is the new principal at Dakota Prairie, and former MMS assistant principal Todd Foster has jumped up to the status of principal at MMS.
Wagers said she is excited to come back home, as she was born and raised in Brookings. She earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Northern State University and then earned both her master’s in technology in education and training and her education specialist’s degree in school administration from the University of South Dakota.
Wagers is starting her 17th year in education and is “ready to take the leap into administration and start here at Dakota Prairie.”
Wagers and her husband have four kids and she said that she felt that now was the right time for her and her family to make the transition to Brookings for a new adventure.
Dakota Prairie does not have any upcoming major changes to either the curriculum or school building; but to Wagers, that does not mean there is not ample work to be done.
“As an educator, the best thing is to meet all the learners’ needs each and every day,” Wagers said. “That’s not only academics, that’s social and emotional, making sure that families are feeling supported and that the staff is feeling supported and the kids are feeling supported. So I think that’s where we start, especially this year.”
She recognizes that each student has to be seen as a whole person at every point of their education, and especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wagers said that the mass customized learning platforms have become invaluable over the years and looks forward to seeing how they can best help students during these tumultuous times.
“The progress has been really great with the whole administration team, obviously at the forefront of our decision making is the safety and health of our staff and our students and the community,” Wagers said.
Foster is starting his 35th year in education by assuming the role of principal for Mickelson Middle School.
The Estelline native earned his undergraduate in education from Dakota State University and then his master’s degree in counseling from South Dakota State University in 1994. Foster has worked in several different school systems and has taught and counseled all grades. He eventually earned his education administration degree and became the principal in Flandreau for 10 years.
“I think you always look at trying to aspire to reach goals and do different things,” Foster said. “One of my long-term goals has always been to get to a school district like this; I’ve always liked this area.”
Six years ago, Foster and his family made their way to Brookings as he became the assistant principal for MMS and has been since 2013. Foster said he is excited for the next chapter in his career as the new principal, as MMS construction comes to an end and as students come back to class.
“It’s because I just love working with kids, that’s my thing,” Foster said. “I just like being around kids. It’s from teaching, it’s from counseling – the counseling side of things really helped me understand kids more and my experiences with all of that has just parlayed into my experiences as a principal.”
Foster said that, having taught all grades, his favorite group is middle school students.
“My big thing is just developing that positive culture with students and knowing that there’s a lot that goes on in a kid’s life, and so trying to build that positive relationship with students, staff and community members is a huge part of it,” Foster said.
Foster also said that he is excited for the day when the MMS staff and faculty can bring back sporting events to the school and “show off the pride of being a Bobcat.”
“My goal is to have Mickelson be the best middle school around,” Foster said.
Contact Matthew Rhodes at mrhodes@brookingsregister.com.
