A familiar face to Warsaw Schools is the new principal at Leesburg Elementary School.
By unanimous vote Tuesday night, the Warsaw Community School Corp. Board of School Trustees approved Randy Dahms as Leesburg's new administrator. Dahms replaces Marv Marino, who resigned Aug. 14. Marino had not been at his post prior to his resignation. The school board accepted Marino's resignation at their Aug. 20 board meeting.
Dahms begins his duties at Leesburg Thursday.
Originally from Findlay, Ohio, Dahms received his bachelor's degree in elementary education from Grace College with areas of study in language arts, learning disabled and general elementary education. He received his master's degree from Indiana University Fort Wayne, with administration area of study in building level administrator.
He has eight years of experience in the Indiana public school system. Dahms started teaching sixth grade in fall 1999 at Benton Elementary School in the Fairfield School Corp. Three years later, he returned to Winona Lake to teach sixth grade at Jefferson Elementary School for Warsaw Schools.
Deciding to pursue elementary school administration, Dahms started working toward his master's degree. During this time, he served as an administrative intern for Warsaw Schools. Upon completing his master's degree, Dahms went back to the classroom for more teaching experience.
After the school year was over, and having taught third grade, Dahms became a principal at Westview Elementary School in Topeka for the 2006-07 school year.
Randy and his wife, Brenn, reside in Leesburg with their two daughters, Cami, 5, and Cati, 1.
Upon making the motion to approve Dahms as Leesburg's principal, board member Chuck Sauders said he was very pleased to make the recommendation.
Board President Ron Yeiter and Deb Wiggins both were absent from Tuesday's meeting, but both served on the interview committee to find Marino's replacement. Superintendent Dr. Robert Haworth read a letter from Yeiter in which Yeiter said Dahms' past experience with Warsaw Schools will be a plus. If Yeiter were able to attend the board meeting, Yeiter wrote that he would vote a "resounding yes" for Dahms.
Board Vice President Dan Robinson said he spoke to Wiggins in length about Dahms. Robinson said Wiggins was in favor of Dahms as Leesburg's new principal.
Serving on the interview committee, along with Yeiter and Wiggins, were Leesburg PTO President Kim Komdeur, Director of Human Resources Audrey Russell, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Sandra Weaver, Haworth, Leesburg teacher Kelly Meeks, Leesburg principal secretary Vicki Johnson, Eisenhower Elementary Principal Chris Gensinger and Washington Elementary Principal Tom Ray.
Delores Hearn, school board member, said that as the representative of that school district, she received many phone calls asking if it were true that Dahms would be the new principal. People were very excited, she said, to hear the news.
"I'm just really excited about this opportunity. I can't wait," said Dahms after he was approved for the position. He said the staff at Leesburg Elementary School seems to him like a great staff to work with.
Warsaw School Board members are Yeiter, Wiggins, Robinson, Sauders, Hearn, Gene England and Tammy Dalton. The school corporation's budget hearing is Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the administration building. Their next regular school board meeting is Sept. 17.
