MORLEY — The latest addition to the Morley Stanwood Community schools staffing will be a new principal at the high school. As the district transitions back from break, the administration is looking forward to a fresh face in leadership at the school.
Richard Wiersma, originally a graduate of Rockford High School, has had a passion for education that has taken him across the globe.
Wiersma said his time spent teaching in Azerbaijan helped strengthen his love of being in the classroom as an educator.
“I started off teaching English with the Peace Corps Azerbaijan, which is a small Eurasian country on the Caspian Sea,” Wiersma said. “That was an awesome experience for me for understanding what it means to be an educational leader in a community like that, and I also met my wife Caroline there, which was a very impactful life experience for me.
"I then came back to the states and continued to teach English at the secondary level and then got an administrator’s certificate in educational leadership from Grand Valley.”
Wiersma and his wife have two children: Lana, 3 1/2 years old, and Ezra, who will be 2 years old in January.
Since receiving his certification, Wiersma has been at Jennison Public Schools in a variety of administrative positions and will start in his new role as principal of Morley Stanwood High School on Monday, Jan. 17.
Wiersma said the close-knit community feel of Morley is what initially attracted his interest.
“I’m excited for my next opportunity at Morley Stanwood,” Wiersma said. “From the very beginning Roger Cole was the one who reached out to me, and he has been a genuine and down-to-earth guy. When he called to schedule an interview, it felt almost like he’d known before, and that was my introduction to the district. It has that small town and family feel that I’m really attracted to, and I think the ethics, morals, and community that Morley stands for is what I’m really excited about.”
Having been in multiple educational roles, Wiersma expressed confidence that his administrative leadership will be able to work with the Morley Stanwood student and staff community to make a positive difference.
Wiersma said that his aim is to be a positive influence on the students and staff and to act as a listening ear.
“Some of my best mentors have been men of character and family is no. 1 to me so I hope to display ethics and morals,” Wiersma said. “I want to talk the talk and then walk the walk in a sense, and be a visionary for the district and serve the community. I’d like to become a servant leader, that’s really what it comes down to.
“My first goal is to get to know the teachers and the students. I think this is where building relational capacity can happen and that’s where impact can be made,” he added. “I learned that through my experience with the Peace Corps that nothing can be done unless you invest in the people that you’re serving. I told the staff that I’ll be bringing in doughnuts on my first day so they can grab a doughnut and chat, and we can jump in and get to know each other.”
Outside of educational duties, Wiersma enjoys music and plays the drums, as well as having recently taken up guitar thanks to a recent Christmas gift of lessons from his wife. He also enjoys exercise and recently ran his first marathon in Turkey during his travels abroad. He ran across two continents during the race.
Wiersma said his travels abroad taught him about the importance of community, and that he hopes to start making connections within the school as soon as he starts.
“I think the biggest thing I learned being overseas was that you don’t have to travel across the world to make a difference in someone’s life,” Wiersma said. “There are opportunities right in front of you, and in my life, there have always been students or teachers in front of me and there are opportunities to make a change. That’s how I approach every situation, whether it’s helping our teachers or the students get better, I’m here to make a difference.”
Meet Morley Stanwood's new principal - The Pioneer
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