(Spirit Lake)– As we reported Tuesday, a longtime administrator with the Spirit Lake Community School District is moving on. Terry Bruinsma has been hired as Superintendent at the West Lyon Community School District. We have since had an opportunity to speak with Bruinsma. His tenure with the Spirit Lake Community Schools extends back to 2003. He has spent the past 14 years as Middle School Principal…
“Having lived here for the last 23 years with our family and built some great relationships, great friends, have loved our time here. We are super thankful for our time here at Spirit Lake. So yeah, it’s with some mixed emotions that we take on a new challenge, a new adventure, but excited at the same time.”
Bruinsma says he values very much the time he spent with the Spirit Lake schools…
“You know, I think teaching and learning is all about being in the people business and I think my highlights always come back to the people you get to work with and the people you get to interact with. Directly here at school I’m thankful for the time you get to work with the kids, the students, the parents, the stakeholders that are directly connected to our school. Definitely a highlight for sure is just the people. We have great people who live in the lakes area, as you know Steve. People who really care about our school and our community. Our school district is fortunate to have a community that’s so passionate about the growth of their kids and their students. So I’m just thankful for those relationships we built over the years.”
Bruinsma says he and his family are excited as they move on to a new chapter…
“You know as my wife and I are, we see ourselves as somewhat locally northwest Iowans, we love this part of the state, love the area, love the people that around here. We know that West Lyon is a school district that has just a great foundation, has a great reputation in academics, in activities, in the people who live there. We know from research we had done and talked to people that the pride in their school and their community is just great. It’s like here. It’s a place we knew that if there was an opening we’d be interested in it some day. Thankfully the timing of this whole thing worked out. So yeah, we’re just excited about that place and all that it might entail for our family and think it’s just really a great fit for us.”
Pending formal approval by the West Lyon School Board, Bruinsma will begin his new duties there effective this coming July 1st.
