Daily Herald's Interview with Superintendent of the Year -- Rick Nielsen

Submitted by lana.hiskey on

Rick Nielsen doesn’t call himself a superintendent.

“I loved being a school teacher and I still call myself a teacher,” Nielsen said. “When people ask me what I am, I most often say I am a teacher or an educator.”

Nielsen, the superintendent of the Nebo School District, now has another title to add to that list — the 2020 Utah Superintendent of the Year.

Nielsen said he’s honored to be recognized, but said the award is mostly a tribute to the district and the community.

“I just have the humble privilege of being the man who gets the handshake and the plaque,” Nielsen said. “In all honesty, I wish that every employee and every student and everybody involved with Nebo School District got every congratulatory email and every handshake and every pat on the back. Leadership in organizations like this don’t get recognitions if everyone else isn’t doing good things.”

Despite the awards and duties, Nielsen jokes that students don’t know who the superintendent is. He said it’s the people they interact with daily who are making the direct differences in their lives.

“Kids care about the people who are providing the service to them day to day to day,” Nielsen said. “No kid goes to bed worried about who their superintendent is, and I am reminded of that every day of my life. I am here to remove barriers from the people who serve students. That is my job.”

For the rest of the story, go to https://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/education/precollegiate/nebo-s-rick-nielsen-named-state-superintendent-of-the-year/article_d4489680-2d83-5430-86ac-f6fc405d7b98.html. 

#DiscoverPowerWithin #NeboHero #NeboSchoolDistrict #StudentSuccess #EmpowerStudents #EngageStudents #FocusOnStudents #LoveUTpublicSchools #UtPol #UtEd #ThankATeacher #LoveTeaching

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Braley Dodgson
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