The Nebraska State Association of Secondary School Principals has selected Nicholas Kroon as the 2019 Outstanding New Principal of the Year. This award is presented annually to a Principal who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in their school, region, and at the state level. The winner will have demonstrated their enthusiasm for the Principalship by support from students, parents, teachers and peers.
Mr. Kroon has been in education since 2006 and has been the Principal at Fairbury Jr./Sr. High School since 2016 after serving as the Assistant Principal/Activities Director for 1 year at Fairbury. Mr. Kroon has been a member of the Nebraska Council of School Administrators (NCSA), the Nebraska State Association of Secondary School Principals (NSASSP), and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) for four years.
Stephen Grizzle, Superintendent of Fairbury Public Schools, praised Mr. Kroon, noting, “As a young administrator, Nick combines many great qualities such as enthusiastic creativity, empathy, and effective personnel management along with a desire to stay abreast of best-practice pedagogy, and, does this with an infectious passion for work.”
Fairbury American Lutheran Church Pastor Brian Julin-McCleary commented, “Nick is open and responsive to members of the community. This availability is vital in a field of work that flourishes when leaders are transparent and accessible. Our community is greatly enhanced having a principal that can be approached and who welcomes feedback and thoughts from the wider community.”
Abigail Jones, an English teacher at Fairbury Community Schools states, “When Mr. Kroon was hired as principal, he did more than merely maintain the structures and systems that were handed to him. Before the end of the school year, he sought input from staff on what they felt were the biggest challenges and problems facing the school, and came back for the new school year with specific solutions targeting those issues.”
Mr. Kroon states, “While I serve as the leader of the school, I feel most effective as a servant and cheerleader for our students! Each day, I work to stay super-positive, listen, and support the students at teachers at Fairbury.” Mr. Kroon continues: “I am super proud of what WE have done at FHS! We have a magnificent administrative team that works hard and is encouraging. We have many students each day who overcome mountains of obstacles and move on to succeed and contribute. We have many outstanding teachers who are positive and driven to help our students. Teachers will always be the real heroes! They inspire me everyday to work harder, smile more, and remember that it is always about the kids!”
Mr. Kroon received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mathematics/Secondary Education in 2006 from Dana College and earned Master of Educational Administration from the University of Nebraska-Kearney in 2010. During his college career he played basketball at Dana College and was honored as an NAIA Academic All-American twice and was honored as the “Best Teammate” in 2003.
Nick Kroon’s teaching career began at West Point Public Schools, teaching 7th-12th grade Math and serving on the School Improvement and Technology teams. Kroon was the head boys basketball coach at West Point from 2009-2015 prior to becoming the Assistant Principal/AD at Fairbury High School.
Congratulations to Nicholas Kroon for his outstanding performance as a Secondary School Principal at Fairbury Public Schools. NSASSP appreciates the contributions to the profession and are proud to name him Nicholas Kroon of Fairbury Jr/Sr. High School the 2019 New Principal of the Year!
