Ankeny Superintendent: 'My Role is to Support and Listen to Everyone' (ENCORE - Part 1)

Ankeny students kicked off a new school year last week, and another familiar face is marking his own first year at the helm of one of the state's fastest-growing school districts.

Ankeny Superintendent Bruce Kimpston, of the on July 1, replaced former superintendent Matthew Wendt, .

Kimpston recently sat down with Ankeny Patch to talk about the person behind the role, as well as his goals for the district and how he plans to lead it through the largest transition the state of Iowa has seen in 40 years.

This interview is split into two installments. The second will publish Thursday, Aug. 23.

Ankeny Patch: Let’s start by reintroducing yourself to Ankeny Patch readers. Tell us about where you were before Ankeny, where you grew up, the basics.

Kimpston: I grew up in the Cedar Rapids area. I graduated from Cedar Rapids Prairie High School. I had the best of both worlds because I grew up in a rural area, but got to go to a larger school. When I went to college, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study, and I was thinking about possibly becoming a lawyer or something in medicine. However, I did a practicum in teaching and I really enjoyed that, so I switched paths.

I started (my career) in a smaller school district, but wanted to move to a larger school, so I moved to Dowling Catholic, followed by Waukee. When I moved to Waukee, there were 1,300 students in the district. When I left there were 6,000. During that time, I served in many roles and had no plans to move from there, but I received a phone call from Ankeny saying they had an assistant superintendent position open. I’m accustomed to growth and working in Ankeny is taking it to the next level. We’re at the point no other school district has been in Iowa in more than 40 years. I like a challenge, and I’m excited to move the district forward, while at the same time, honoring the traditions of the past. I think it’s criticial we maintain the Ankeny identity while growing not only the district but the community, too.

What was your favorite subject in school? Why?

Most people tend to like English and social studies, or they like math and science. I’m somewhat different in that I liked English and math. I found out if I did well in those two, the other subjects came easier to me. Quite frankly, I enjoyed school growing up and I had a number of great teachers who were engaging and made it fun to come to school.

Did you have a teacher who influenced you more than the rest? A favorite, maybe?

I had a middle school teacher named Bob Melgren who taught social studies. While that may have been my least favorite subject, he made it enjoyable because he included things beyond the facts. I also got to know him through de-tasseling because he supervised the job. It was interesting getting to know a teacher beyond the classroom.

Why was now a good time to step into the Ankeny superintendent role? Why not stay where you were?

Before coming to Ankeny, I never planned to become a superintendent. I enjoyed my previous roles here because I was able to have a greater connection with people in buildings. Prior to taking this position, I saw the role of superintendent as one that did not have contact with teachers, custodians, paraprofessionals and others throughout the district. However, I’ve learned during my short time in Ankeny that the superintendent can choose how he or she interacts and leads a district. As the superintendent of the Ankeny School District, I’ve made it clear from day one that everyone in our district counts and the most important people are those at the building level. My role, and others at the central office, needs to be one of support and finding out how we can help those closest to students be successful in their roles.

Do you think this was something that wasn’t getting done before that needs to improve or are you building on something already put in place?

I would simply say that this is Bruce Kimpston’s philosophy.

Can you describe other parts of your leadership style people can expect to see?

My style would be described as collaborative and most people with whom I work would say I ask a lot of questions and do a lot of listening. I’m married to a teacher, and her siblings and my siblings are all teachers. I also have family members who have worked in other roles in schools. I’ve had the good fortune to be able to hear from different perspectives in my family what makes a school successful and what makes a school a place where people don’t want to come to work.

From that, I’ve learned we need to value people — and that means everyone in the building. It starts with students because our main objective is to improve student learning and prepare them for a 21st-century, competitive global environment in which there are many unknown variables. As someone who just sent their youngest child to Iowa State recently, it is difficult as a parent to guide your own child regarding a career considering many of the careers in which our students will be working may not even be invented yet. So as a parent and as a leader as an educational institution, it is critical we focus on problem solving, higher level thinking and creativity as those types of skills will be most beneficial to our kids.

Your leadership team is pretty new. Do you foresee a learning curve there and how does the team plan to overcome that with so many new faces in the district office?

During the summer I worked hard to assemble a team that holds the same core values I have. We need to work very hard in valuing people and supporting those in our buildings. During the past five years, the district has gone through a dramatic change in curriculum adoption. Our team now will oversee the implementation phase of it, and will make adjustments where necessary. It’s been a challenge to the teachers over the past four years to have a new curriculum put in place, but consequently we need to make sure they have the support they need to do it.

Tomorrow in the second part of Kimpston's Q & A with Ankeny Patch:

• Ankeny Centennial — how will the district ease the community, staff and students through the transition?
• How will the district create new traditions in a two high-school town?
• What are the district leader's short-term goals for the district? The district's biggest needs?