Minnetonka High School Welcomes a Familiar Leader to Replace Principal Adney

From Minnetonka schools:

It was a year ago when Assistant Principal Jeff Erickson left Minnetonka to become principal at Mounds View High School—a bitter-sweet decision, leaving a school culture he had been instrumental in creating during his 20-year career at MHS.

The retirement of Principal Dave Adney opened the door for Minnetonka to bring Erickson home.  At their May 2 meeting, the Minnetonka School Board approved Erickson’s appointment as principal for Minnetonka High School beginning July 1, 2013.

According to Adney, “Jeff is one of the finest educators I know.  His level of professionalism, work ethic and dedication to students is unparalleled.”

“With Jeff’s return, we are confident that the focus on academic achievement, student-centered decision-making, innovation and world-class excellence will continue,” shared Superintendent Dennis Peterson. “Jeff Erickson is a proven instructional leader who understands Minnetonka’s focus on student learning. We are looking forward to a smooth leadership transition.”

Erickson is as well. “I am honored to return to Minnetonka High School—a very special place for me, having started my teaching career there 20 years ago. I look forward to working with the students, staff and community to build on the traditions of student-centered excellence. I am grateful for this opportunity to lead MHS and look forward to reconnecting with the community over the next few months.”

As a teacher, World Language department chair and assistant principal in Minnetonka from 1993 – 2012, Erickson had already proven himself a successful leader before becoming a high school principal in Mounds View.  He demonstrated outstanding leadership in developing Minnetonka’s eighth grade World Language program (2006) and was instrumental in reforming secondary grading practices (2007). He chaired the District’s World Language curriculum review process (2008) and led Minnetonka’s Summer Institute for professional development (2010-2012). As a bilingual administrator, Erickson assisted in the selection of elementary Spanish Immersion teachers and is well-positioned to transition the Language Immersion program into the high school in 2015. His international perspective will support the continued expansion of the high school’s International Studies Program.

Erickson’s astute awareness of current and emerging research and his passion for improving the school’s learning environment are well-known and highly respected, having been published in national journals and spoken at national education and leadership conferences.  In 2012, Erickson was named Minnesota’s Assistant Principal of the Year and attended the invitation-only national leadership conference with the 49 other state honorees. His network of relationships has brought incredible speakers such as Thomas Guskey, Robert Marzano and Kim Marshall to Minnetonka to discuss emerging trends in education. 

Jeff’s leadership style focuses on collaboration. He worked closely with MHS staff to design a 21st century model for teacher leadership and assisted in the creation of the professional learning communities at Minnetonka High School. One teacher wrote, “Jeff filled us with excitement and confidence that we could create a culture of learning in the building that would result in the highest achievement possible for our students.  Through his efforts we felt transformed into knowledgeable, confident instructional leaders.”

School Board member Pam Langseth wrote this endorsement for Erickson in 2012, “Jeff shifted from being a great teacher to being a greatly admired administrator in a seamless fashion.  His greatest impact at Minnetonka High School has been the relationships he has built.  He lets students and staff know that someone at the high school truly cares about them, understands their reality and values them as individuals.” 

Minnetonka had started a national search, but had not yet begun interviews to replace Dave Adney who is retiring at the end of this school year and has accepted a new position with the State’s secondary school principals association. “We received some strong applications, but we also knew that Minnetonka is a demanding position for a new leader. We knew Jeff Erickson could easily make the transition and maintain our momentum as a progressive, innovative school. It was important to us to reach out to him and begin a dialogue. In the end, it was a win-win,” shared Tim Alexander, assistant superintendent for human resources. “We chose not to bring candidates in for interviews when we discovered that Jeff Erickson was willing to return.”

Jeff Erickson holds a Bachelor of Arts from Gustavus Adolphus (1993) and a Masters of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction from St. Thomas (1998).  He obtained his administrators license in 2007.  He served as World Language Department Chair from 1998 - 2008 and as a teacher on special assignment and administrative intern during the 2006-2007 school year.  He was promoted to assistant principal in 2008, a position he held until 2012 when he accepted the head principal position at Mounds View High School (MN).