Mr. Kevin Dick
Sixteen years ago this past September, Sioux Falls School District opened their brand new school on the southwest side of town, that being R. F. Pettigrew Elementary. The principal who was tasked with opening this school was Dr. Julie Hartmann. She served as Pettigrew’s principal for 3 years, before accepting a school administration position near the Twin Cities in Minnesota. At her departure, I was named as the principal of Pettigrew Elementary, at the beginning of the 2012-13 school year, and it is a position I have held, cherished and loved for the past 13 school years.
I have announced to the staff at Pettigrew Elementary and also have informed the Sioux Falls School District of my plans to retire at the end of this school year, 2024-2025. My wife who is also retiring from the education profession plan to spend more time together, with family, and looking for other ways to have an impact on the lives around us and the community we live in. We are excited about this new transition in our lives, together.
I began my career in education after a short stint as a ranch hand in south central South Dakota. I had been in school all my life and was now married to a teacher, and thought, why not look at staying in the field of education? So, I became an education assistant, a custodian, a bus driver, a cook’s helper, and a substitute teacher as I went back to school to complete my teaching certificate. After a student teaching experience in 3rd grade, I became a 7th grade math and science teacher for a half school year, then moved into a permanent position as a 6th grade teacher and a 6,7 and 8th grade math teacher. Shortly after that, we moved to Huron where I was a 4th grade teacher and then a 7th grade math teacher. Next, I became an Associate Principal in a middle school, and then an elementary school Principal. Upon moving to Sioux Falls, 20 years ago, I became the Elementary Principal at Jane Addams School and the ELL District Coordinator. My next professional stop proved to be my last, as Principal at R. F. Pettigrew Elementary.
I have held almost all the positions possible in an elementary school (short of a clerical or a nurse), and that was an experience that I looked back on many times as the leader of a school, as I reflected on actions and activities around the school, and wondered what they looked like from the perspective of a parent, a student, a custodian, a bus driver, etc. This experience proved to be invaluable in my tenure as a school leader. I was so glad I had the experience of being a coach, a parent, a teacher, and a school employee (other than a teacher or principal), many times. I often have said that the best experience for being a principal was the positions I held before becoming one, and also the experience of being a football and basketball referee. One of those experiences gave me empathy, perspective and understanding, the other gave me thick skin, so I could weather whatever storm was headed our school’s way.
These past 13 years have been some of my professional best, and also some of the most challenging. In the months to come, as we approach the time of a new principal taking the helm of leadership at Pettigrew, I plan to write some reflections of my time here, a few tributes to the people around me, and also a word of advice to our school community as they look to embrace the transition of leadership to a new person and new leadership style.
The transition from my earlier position to my current one was a bit abbreviated and also a bit sudden. This transition will be a bit more extended, as I am required to inform those around me on a timeline before this article is published, so we will have a bit more time to prepare for the changes that are on our horizon. However, I look forward to the discussion, transition, and experiences we will still share together this spring.
Happy February!!!!
R.F. Pettigrew PTO
Email: rfp.president@yahoo.com
Location: 7900 West 53rd Street, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
Phone: 605-362-3560
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1HUjZX8FsW/