For the current students at William Kelley School, Joe Nicklay is the only principal they have ever known. Now after nineteen years working in the Lake Superior School District – five years as a teacher in Two Harbors, and fifteen as principal at William Kelley – Nicklay is retiring.
A 1979 graduate of Woodbury Senior High School, Nicklay attended St. Paul Technical Vocational Institute, now known as St. Paul College, where he graduated from the Tool, Die, and Mold Making program. After graduation, he worked at Wilson Tool International for five years. Nicklay also attended Mankato State University, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Teaching Technology Education, a Masters of Science in Educational Leadership, and an Educational Specialist in Administration.
Nicklay initially applied for the position of William Kelley School principal because the school seemed like “the perfect fit” for him. He has enjoyed “being a part of this amazing school and community.”
Filling the position of principal will be Dan Johnson, who began his “educational journey” as a math teacher at the Fond du Lac Ojibwe School, a position he held for two years. Johnson was then hired at William Kelley School to teach 7th to 12th grade math, which he did for eleven years, also becoming involved in coaching and other extracurricular activities. During that time, Johnson earned his master’s degree and administrative license. He and his wife have lived in Normanna Township in St. Louis County for 24 years.
After receiving his administrative license Johnson applied for a position as assistant principal at Virginia High School, and worked there for a year before taking the position of elementary principal at Roosevelt Elementary in Virginia, MN, a building of around 560 students in grades 3-6. About two weeks before the start of his second year at Roosevelt, Johnson received a call from the Lake Superior School District wondering if he was interested in applying for an open assistant principal position at Two Harbors High School. Johnson accepted that position, and at the conclusion of the year was invited to take on the role of Curriculum Director, a new position for the district.
“Ever since leaving the Lake Superior School District, my goal has been to return,” says Johnson. “I have enjoyed working with the families and the communities of [the] Lake Superior School District, and I understand and know the commitment they have to the education of our children. I have learned a great deal this year in the position of Curriculum Director, and I am excited to take that knowledge to help meet the goals of our district.” He continues with praise for the Lake Superior School district, citing its “strong teachers who are committed to ensure that every student is successful, and this is supported by the administrative team and the school board.”
When asked what he is most looking forward to as William Kelley School Principal, Johnson said “working with the students, teachers, staff, families, and communities…I like the variety and the opportunities for connections that a K-12 building allows, and I am excited to reconnect with the families that I knew when I was a teacher at WKS and the families that I will get to know.”
Thank you, Principal Nicklay, for your years of service to William Kelley students and families; and welcome, Dan Johnson, as you embark on this next phase of life.
