Charles City names new CCHS associate principal, new reading and special education teachers

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

The Charles City School District Board of Education approved Heather Phillips as the new associate principal at Charles City High School for the 2021-22 school year.

Phillips will take the job of Larry Wolfe, who recently accepted the position of Charles City Innovative Campus principal.

Phillips is an 11-year veteran of the Waterloo Community School district. She will begin her duties on July 1, at a salary of $87,000 per year.

Phillips is currently a mathematics instructional coach in Waterloo, where she coaches teachers to use data to diagnose the instructional needs of students and improve instructional strategies. She has also taught sixth grade social studies, math and advanced mathematics.

“I had the opportunity to work with (Charles City Superintendent) Mike Fisher in Waterloo, and I’m excited to work with him again,” Phillips said. “From the moment I stepped onto the first Charles City School campus, I noticed the invitational and family vibe. I’m sure I made the right choice for my family and me.”

Phillips will be moving to Charles City with her husband, Dustin, and two young children. She has also taught at at Malcolm Price Laboratory School with the University of Northern Iowa, and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at UNI and her Master of Arts in educational leadership at Viterbo University.

Phillips said building relationships with staff and students is at the top of her to-do list. She said she is eager to learn what motivates the Charles City family and how she can bring her experience to reach the collective goals of the school.

“I’m excited about the opportunities for my children and family,” she said. “Charles City is a smaller town with lots of opportunities. I’m excited to see the way the community has embraced diversity in a small-town atmosphere.”

The school board also approved the hiring of two new teachers at Monday’s meeting. Alecia Landers will teach eighth grade reading and Tom Larsen will teach special education at Washington Elementary. Landers will earn a salary of $51,542 while Larsen will earn $48,983. Both will officially start on Aug. 12.

Landers comes to Charles City from the Waterloo Community School District as a third-grade teacher. She has also taught in North Butler as an elementary Title I and At-Risk teacher. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Upper Iowa University with an endorsement in reading and earned her Master of Education degree in 2020 as a reading specialist and endorsements in English as a second language.

Landers grew up in Greene and will be moving back to her family’s farm this summer. She noted the “amazing environment” at Charles City Middle School and the “invitational and creative atmosphere” from both the students and the teachers.

Larsen first started as a paraeducator at Washington Elementary School and is returning home. He will be moving to Charles City with his wife, Laura, and 2-year-old son. He is originally from Clear Lake and his wife’s hometown is Rockford.

Currently an elementary school special education teacher at Brooklyn-Guernsey-Malcom Community School District in central Iowa, Larsen has also taught third and fifth grade at the Meskwaki Settlement School in Tama.

He graduated from North Iowa Area Community College with his Associates of Arts degree and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Buena Vista University with endorsements in reading, social studies and special education.

Larsen said he was impressed with the student ambassadors and the new initiatives in Charles City.