Shakopee School District Hires Two New Principals

After interviewing 14 applicants March 21 and 22, Shakopee Public Schools have two new principals for and , according to a news release from the district.  

Josie Koivisto will be the principal at Eagle Creek Elementary. She is currently the principal at Margaret White Elementary in Blythe, Calif. She was named Principal of the Year for the Palo Verde Unified School District in 2008 and 2012. She has six years of experience as an elementary school principal (kindergarten through sixth grade) and 14 years in public education. She has a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction and received her principal licensure from St. Cloud University. She is originally from Minnesota and was an elementary school teacher in Cokato, Minn., and then in North Branch, Minn., before becoming a principal in California.

“I believe all students can learn and need to be in school daily,” Koivisto said. “I work with my staff to ensure students have access to a quality education daily.”

Mike Savage will be the principal at Sweeney Elementary. He is a Shakopee resident and is an educational coordinator at Forest Hills Elementary in Eden Prairie. He received the 2010 Sullivan Ballou Award for significantly impacting the lives of children and was nominated for the 2010 Minnesota Teacher of the Year Award for leadership in reading instruction. He was a first grade teacher at W. Harry Davis Academy in Minneapolis for eight years then a first grade teacher at Forest Hills Elementary for two years. He has a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction and a specialist degree in educational leadership.

“I take great pride living in Shakopee," Savage said. "It is very exciting to live in this rapidly growing community and it further excites me to work for a school district that is soundly preparing for such growth."

Both Koivisto and Savage will start their new positions July 1.

Libby Bergen, currently the principal at Eagle Creek Elementary, will retire at the end of the school year. Dave Orlowsky, currently the principal at Sweeney Elementary, will be the principal at the Pearson 6th Grade Center.