New Administration Team

MINNEWASKA AREA SCHOOLS WELCOME NEW ADMIN TEAM

Minnewaska Area Schools (MAS) welcomes Rick Ellingworth, Interim Superintendent; Nate Meissner, 9-12 High School Principal; Sarah Suchy, 4-8 Middle School Principal and Scott Lempka, E-3 Elementary School Principal.

Rick Ellingworth will serve as interim superintendent while MAS superintendent, Chip Rankin, is deployed with the United States Army. Ellingworth recently retired from Redwood Falls after spending 44 years with the school district. Throughout Ellingworth’s career, he served Redwood Valley schools as a teacher, coach, athletic director, principal and the last 28 years as superintendent. “I am very excited to have the opportunity to join the MAS leadership team”, says Ellingworth. “Although the MAS Principals and I have only had a few days to work together, I am very impressed with their willingness to roll their sleeves up and get after it! These are challenging times we are in and these three principals are about embracing the challenges instead of running from them! They are talented, energetic, personable and fun to be around. I can’t wait for our students and families to get to know them.”

Nate Meissner joins MAS as the 9-12 High School principal with four years of administration experience in Brandon-Evansville and Ashby, Minn. High Schools. Prior to working in administration, Meissner taught eight years of high school social studies in Browerville, Minn. “Several years ago I had the opportunity to student-teach at MAS so this district has always been on my radar. I’m so excited to be back and to be a part of the Minnewaska school district,” said Meissner.

Sarah Suchy remains with MAS in the new position of 4-8 Middle School Principal. Suchy previously served as MAS Elementary and Intermediate Principal working with Kindergarten through sixth grade for the past 4 years.  She is looking forward to focusing on our middle school-aged students, as they have a lot of energy and wonder that make them an exciting group to work with.  Sarah’s also excited to work alongside an incredibly talented team of teachers and administrators.

Scott Lempka joins MAS as the E-3 Elementary School Principal. Lempka comes to Minnewaska with seven years of experience as an elementary principal in the Elk River and Anoka-Hennepin school districts. Scott grew up in the lakes area and is excited to be back and to join the Laker team.

As MAS works through the unique challenges the 2020-2021 school year brings, they are confident in our administration team to guide us through with their expertise and experience. “I recognize that students, parents, community members and educators have significant concerns about the upcoming school year,” says Ellingworth.  “Believe me, as an educator I understand the concerns. But I think we can safely navigate through these times. As we move forward our attitudes will be important. Working collaboratively and holding high the attributes of communication, transparency, trust and respect can make the journey one we end up enjoying. I can honestly tell you that every MAS employee I have met is firmly committed to working very hard to meet the educational needs of each of our students and his/her family.”