The Shakopee district has selected two new educators to lead Shakopee High School as it transitions to its new academies model, which organizes students into teams focused on a common interest or career field.
Jeff Pawlicki will serve as executive principal of the academies while Sarah Jordan, a top candidate during the executive principal search, will become assistant principal .
Pawlicki hails from the Wayzata district, where he served as associate principal at the high school. Before that, he was a business teacher in Eden Prairie and an administrative dean at Jefferson High School in Bloomington.
"Jeff is an experienced leader and will be a great addition to our high school and district," said Superintendent Rod Thompson in a statement. "His professional experience and expertise within leadership, teacher development, and instructional improvement made him the best candidate."
Pawlicki will replace Ben Kusch, who resigned as principal at the end of the 2015-2016 academic year.
Jordan, a former social studies teacher in the Eden Prairie district, also filled several administrative roles there over the last few years.
The high school will switch to an academies model in the fall of 2018. Six different academies, or small learning communities, are planned: arts and communication, business and entrepreneurship, engineering and manufacturing, health sciences, human services, science and technology and a freshman academy.
While students must pick a home academy beginning in their sophomore year, they can still take classes in other academies. One goal of the academies is to strengthen connections between high school elective classes and a students' eventual career, according to the district's website.
