Kalona

With the passing of another school year comes change for everyone, including Mid-Prairie Middle School. The school, located in Kalona, is welcoming a new principal to its staff this fall.

Previously employed as a JH/HS principal in the WACO Community School District, Tim Bartels is a seasoned veteran in the educational field, as he starts his 16th school year as an educator. While he loves the profession that he is in, his younger self would be surprised to see him in this field.

“My wife was going through some stuff last night from when we were kids. She came across my old report cards, and the kids were looking at it, and they're like, ‘You were a bad student!’ Oh, man. So no, no, that [going into the field of education] was never…in the outlook or dream at all,” Bartels said.

Although he never expected to become an educator, he loves working in education and finds it rewarding.

“The most rewarding part is seeing the data,” Bartels stated. “When I see those wins on paper, I get to share those things out with people like, ‘This is what your hard work did!’ ‘This is what you just did!’ I really, really enjoy that, just on a personal level, showing students and staff that we reached this goal that we had.”

Bartels has big aspirations for Mid-Prairie Middle School but hasn’t quite defined them yet.

“I actually hope to learn, because I'm not really sure at this point. I'm anxious to see how I can contribute and how I can best meet the needs of people while I'm there. But that's going to require me shutting my mouth and learning a whole bunch,” said Bartels.

Bartels shares that his main priority this upcoming school year is putting students first.

“Our mission is to serve kids. That's going to be the first thing that we're going to talk about on the first day. Why are we all there? What's our purpose? And at the end of the day, it's got to be about the students.”

After spending years in the field of education, Bartels has learned many lessons. The most important one, he says, is about building relationships as an educator.

“When you start to treat people like human beings, then that's when you really start to see schools become bigger than what their mission ever thought that they could be, and students start growing more, and teachers really enjoy their jobs, and they start serving kids at a different level,” Bartels said. “That's when the magic happens, and that's when you start seeing some really positive things happen.”

Bartels is excited about the opportunity to make an impact on students at Mid-Prairie Middle School.

“I'm really anxious to see the things that we can do for students and for the school,” Bartels stated.