Anamosa
As superintendent Darren Hanna looks back on his first term in Anamosa, the experience has been a positive one.
“It’s been a really positive experience for my wife and I to move to Anamosa,” he said. “We’ve been welcomed into the community. We love what the community offers.”
That starts with the support he’s seen from the community and the drive he’s seen from staff.
“Our community is really looking towards how does it become a better place,” Hanna said. “All schools have challenges, but it’s nice to know that you have an organization that can meet those challenges.”
Even in his first handful of months, Hanna’s been able to connect with various community organizations, from the Rotary Club to both the community and school foundations and the Anamosa Chamber of Commerce.
Having a special election to prepare for in September helped the process along.
“I think the fact that we were doing the school bond issue was a great tool to be able to get out and meet lots of people,” Hanna said.
The fact that the voters approved the district’s bond measure to build a new competition gym gives the district a real positive as they work toward the future. Over the past few years, schools have had to navigate their way through a series of challenges. The bond issue was a chance for the district to start shifting back into a more forward-thinking mindset.
“What we’re trying to get back to now is trying to see the possibilities first and then deal with the challenges second,” Hanna said. “Thinking about what could be, but not get paralyzed by the challenges that will come…Who do we want to be? What do our kids need? What do we want for them?”
In addition to the work on the new competition gym, the district has also received grant funding for the Raider Market, which will be a food pantry housed in the high school to address food insecurities within the district.
“It’s really about integrating your community into your school and your school into your community,” Hanna said. “That integration of the community and the school bringing success to both. Having a high-performing school is good for the community. Having a high-performing community is good for the school. Very seldom do you see one doing very well while the other is not.”
On that front, Hanna is excited for the possibility of the Old Dubuque Road project getting underway and the growth possibilities for both the community and the district.
“There’s just a lot of really cool things that are coming together,” he said.
