Hartley is the new principal at St. Paul Lutheran School in Fort Dodge.

After accepting an early retirement offer from the Fort Dodge Community School District last school year, Hartley was looking around for the next phase of his life, of what to do next, he said. That’s when he was contacted by his friend and former colleague, Mark Johnson, who was the interim principal at St. Paul last year.

“He spoke very highly of St. Paul and said that they were in search of a new principal,” Hartley said. “So after thinking it over and talking with him and coming over to visit the school and get the lay of the land, I talked with Pastor Kendall Meyer and applied.”

Hartley spent 15 years teaching in the classroom before moving on to school administration for the next 18 years. He most recently served as athletic director and assistant principal at Fort Dodge Middle School.

Talking to The Messenger in August, Hartley was looking ahead to the 2021-2022 school year, seeing a successful year as one with “growth in class sizes and growth in our students’ faith, spirituality and their academics.”

Hartley said he plans to use his connections in education to continue to promote St. Paul Lutheran School in the community.

“It’s a very caring and kind of family-type feel to the building, and I felt very welcomed by everyone,” he said, “not only people that are within the school, but people in the church … This will be a good fit for me.”

St. Paul School has also hired a couple of new teachers.

First-grade teacher Abigail Crouch started last fall after graduating from Concordia University in Nebraska last spring.

“She has done a terrific job with our first-grade class,” Hartley said.

Fifth- and sixth-grade teacher Nancy Martin, a veteran educator in public schools, also joined the staff last fall.

Looking ahead to 2022, Hartley said St. Paul is looking toward growing its enrollment in preschool through eighth grade.

The enrollment for 2021 was slightly increased, the principal said, with 116 students in grades preschool through eighth grade.

The school also recently replaced its roof, and will replace the whiteboards in the classrooms over the summer, Hartley said. A few windows will be installed this summer as well.

“We’re working to maintain our security and safety within the building and for our students and families,” he said.