The Anselmo-Merna Public School Board of Education has selected Matt Huseman as the next PreK-12 Principal. A committee consisting of teachers and the superintendent interviewed five finalists from which Mr. Huseman was selected. As a result of this process, Mr. Huseman has accepted the principalship position beginning in the 2020-2021 school year.
Mr. Huseman comes to Anselmo-Merna after a successful classroom teaching career. He began his teaching career in Blair, Nebraska where he taught 5th grade and was a high school boys basketball and track coach. He was involved as a teacher leader in the implementation of instructional model framework, a member of the School Improvement team, and an active member of the mentorship program for non- tenured staff.
In 2018, Mr. Huseman joined Sargent Public School where he also taught 5th grade and continued coaching high school boys basketball and track. As a member of Sargent Public Schools, Huseman was the chair of the School Improvement team, a leadership member of MTSS (Multi-Tiered Systems of Support) team, and an Instructional Model team member.
Huseman is originally from Storm Lake, Iowa. He graduated from East Sac County High School. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have two children, Abigail and Ezekiel. They enjoy traveling and being outdoors. Mr. Huseman has served youth in the Sargent area for the last two years through the Pee-Wee basketball program. Mrs. Huseman is involved in leadership with the Sandhills MOPS. Mr. and Mrs. Huseman are both active at the Berean Bible Church in Broken Bow.
Mr. Huseman graduated from Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education with endorsements in Reading, Coaching, 6-8 Language Arts, and 6-8 Science. During his time at Northwestern College, Huseman played one year of college basketball before finishing his collegiate athletic career in track and field. Over the course of four seasons, Huseman was an 8-time Great Plains Athletic Conference champion, 7-time NAIA All-American, and the 2012 Indoor National Champion in the high jump. He was also a 3-time CO-SIDA Academic All-America.
Mr. Huseman will graduate in May of 2020 with his Master of Arts in Educational Administration from the University of Nebraska- Kearney.
When asked about the opportunity to serve as Anselmo Merna’s principal, Mr. Huseman was enthusiastic:
“I am honored to accept the principal’s position at Anselmo Merna and am very excited at the opportunity to instructionally lead a school building of highly qualified and motivated teachers such as the ones that compose this school district. It was evident that student achievement is the number one priority to the teachers that I have had contact with and I look forward to working alongside our teachers in creating a rich and dynamic learning experience for all children. I am excited for the challenges that lay ahead as we engage with all stakeholders in the educational process and continue to make Anselmo-Merna a place of academic and social excellence.”
Superintendent Logan Lightfoot echoed Mr. Huseman’s enthusiasm:
“We were fortunate to have a pool of quality candidates for our principal position. I have the utmost confidence that Mr. Huseman will lead with clear direction, and always advocate for the success of A-M students. Throughout our vetting process, the terms that his colleagues constantly used to describe him were role model, high integrity, and natural leader. He will be a great fit to lead our top-notch teaching staff.”
A welcome reception for Mr. Huseman and his family will be announced in the near future.
