Harskamp accepts principal position at Waterloo’s Hoover Middle School

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

Charles City Community School District Executive Director of Student Engagement and Leadership Thomas Harskamp will leave Charles City and accept a position in Waterloo.

After four years in Charles City, Harskamp has been named Hoover Middle School Principal in Waterloo, pending approval by the Waterloo Schools Board of Directors. He will replace Amy Schmidt as Hoover principal. Schmidt has been named Waterloo Community Schools’ director of K-12 career development.

“Thomas Harskamp is an outstanding leader and we wish him well in his new leadership role at Hoover Middle School,” the Charles City School District said in a statement released Thursday. “We appreciate his service to the students and families of the Charles City Community Schools and we know the long-term impact of his leadership here will continue into the foreseeable future.”

During his four-year tenure in Charles City, Harskamp worked as the co-principal and associate principal at the Charles City Middle School and is currently CCHS’s executive director of student engagement and leadership.

“I am so excited for the opportunity to lead Hoover Middle School and be a part of the Waterloo Family,” Harskamp said in a social media post. “Thank you, Waterloo Schools and Hoover Middle School for trusting me to lead such a dynamic school.”

Harskamp has 21 years in education, 17 of those serving in Omaha Public Schools before coming to Charles City. His contract expires on June 30 and he will begin his duties in Waterloo on July 1.

“We are excited to add Tom to our administrative team,” incoming Waterloo Schools Superintendent Jared Smith said. “Tom impressed us with his extensive middle school experience, as well as his enthusiasm for working in the Waterloo schools.”

Harskamp holds a Master of Science degree in PK-12 school administration from Wayne State College and a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education from Buena Vista University. Before coming to Charles City, Harskamp was dean of students at Marrs Middle School in Omaha as well a football, basketball, track and cross country coach.

In the statement, the Charles City School District said Harskamp worked as part of a team to improve the culture and climate and helped to grow student achievement.

“He helped put systems and personnel in place to rebuild the strength and conditioning program, more than doubling the number of students involved daily,” the district stated. “He was able to lead coaches to build their programs to higher levels and he is particularly proud of the student leadership at the middle school emerging from Erik Hoefer’s leadership class.”

Harskamp is married to his wife Dana, who is an elementary principal in the Wapsie Valley Community School District. They have two children.