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Bergman named Pioneer principal
When Nik Bergman heard that Donna Kiehn was retiring from her position as the principal at Pioneer Elementary School at the end of this year, he knew right away that he’d be interested in taking over.
Bergman got his wish when he was named as Pioneer’s new principal Monday.
“I’ve enjoyed working for the district,” said Bergman, who has been working in the Quincy School District for the past seven years, the last two as the principal at George Elementary School.
“I wanted to remain in the community and wanted to remain a full-time administrator. I’m real excited. It’s a wonderful school and a great professional opportunity.”
District superintendent Burton Dickerson said Bergman is highly qualified for the position.
“He has a proven track record of experience as an elementary school administrator, having served in that role at George Elementary School for the past two years,” Dickerson said.
“During that time, he has demonstrated strong leadership. He relates in a positive manner with employees, students and parents and works as a valued part of the district’s administrative team. Nik is a hard-working employee who gives his best to the job. He keeps the focus on improving teaching and learning and is visibly involved in the school and community. I am confident that he will be an excellent school leader in his new role at Pioneer.”
Bergman said the similarities between the George and Pioneer schools attracted him to the open position.
“I feel that I have a background, coming from here with the reading and math curriculum we were able to put into place,” he said. “Pioneer has a great staff and great students.”
He admitted to having mixed feelings about leaving George, though.
“I love George,” he said. “I had a great two years there. I feel like we’ve done a lot of good things and made some good gains. I’ve also made some good friends. I’m sad, but excited. Plus, it’s not like I’m leaving the country. I’ll still be in the district.”
Under Bergman’s tutelage, George Elementary was able to implement student-led parent-teacher conferences and the Positive Behavioral Intervention System. Both programs have been met with positive response.
“The conferences were huge,” he said. “We got kids to set academic goals. We had 100 percent attendance for those conferences, and that’s not supposed to happen at a school like George. The parents are outstanding. We got the kids excited about data and learning and setting goals. It was cool to see the kids excited about achieving academically. Also, the implementation of the PBIS system cut down our referral rate by almost 50 percent. We were very proud of that.”
Bergman said one of the first goals that he wants to reach at Pioneer is to become familiar with students and staff. “Other than that, I just want to focus on math and reading, like we did at George,” he said.
Dickerson said the process of filling Bergaman’s spot at George will begin immediately.
“We have posted the position that Nik will vacate at George,” Bergman said. “That posting can be accessed on the district Web site. I met with the George Elementary School staff on Wednesday morning to discuss plans and the process for filling that position.”
