Heidi Douma has spent her entire adult life involved in education. That commitment has led her into a new area – school administration. Douma is the new Principal at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Middle School.
Although entering new territory on her educational journey, the geographical territory looks very familiar to Douma, who lives on a farm northwest of Sanborn. The close proximity of HMS Middle School to her home factored into her decision to apply for the position. “Working three miles from our home and not having to travel was a big drawing card,” acknowledged Douma. “Also, I had worked in the elementary many years ago when I was employed by NWAEA and I enjoyed the people there.”
The new Principal comes to HMS following three years as Early Childhood Special Education Consultant with Northwest Area Education Agency (NWAEA). Her time as an ECSE Teacher with NWAEA involved classrooms in Sibley as well as Hartley and was her first position in education, running from August 1998 to August 2005. Sibley-Ocheyedan then drew her away to become the Pre-K, 4 Year Old Preschool and ECSE Teacher. That association ended when, in August of 2017, she joined the staff at Northwestern College in Orange City. Her experience there included Director BAEC Online Degree Program and Professor of Practice in Education; Graduate and Undergraduate Studies.
Douma is drawing from those years in education as she takes on this new challenge at HMS. “I belief that life is lived forward but understood backward,” she offered. “Looking back at the experiences and placements I’ve had, I can see how God used each one of them to prepare me for this role. I’m thankful for that.”
The new Principal was born in Spirit Lake as the family lived in Lake Park. They moved to Ocheyedan when she was eight months old and Douma was raised there, attending Sibley-Ocheyedan school.
And did all that prime her for a career in education? “No…. in fact I told my parents ‘I will never be a teacher!’” admitted Douma. “My dad was an elevator manger, and my mom and all of my sisters were involved in education in some way. I started college with a major in business, but halfway through my junior year, I really felt God was calling me to the education field.”
She earned a B.S. in Elementary Education from Northwestern with Early Childhood and Unified endorsements. She received her M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from Buena Vista University in Storm Lake.
Douma explained why she went on to complete Principal Endorsement studies at Midland University in Omaha. “I needed credits to renew my teaching certificate,” she noted. “A friend looked at my transcripts and saw the courses I had already taken. She encouraged me to work toward the Principal Endorsement. I was working with several area Principals in my role at the AEA and was interested in learning more about leadership.”
The newest leader of HMS Middle School was asked what has been filling her professional time since she officially assumed the position July 1. “Lots of learning!” she responded. “Getting to know the staff, families, and more people in the communities, and just trying to figure out the little things…like how to operate the copy machine, where to find the sticky notes… learning the ins and outs of the Middle School.”
Douma’s early experiences inside the HMS District have been positive ones. “I’ve been so impressed by the welcome I’ve received from everyone and their obvious commitment to doing what’s best for kids,” she commented. “In nearly every discussion I’ve had with teachers, support staff and the admin team, we always come back to the question, ‘How will that benefit our students?’”
Heidi’s husband is Kent Douma. Their oldest son, Keegan, farms with Kent and lives just five miles away. He will be getting married next summer to Jazlin DeHaan of Orange City. The middle child, daughter Addi, just graduated from high school and will soon be off to college at Iowa State University. Their youngest son, Kolby, will be a freshman at HMS.
The new Principal admitted to finding time away from her professional responsibilities. “I really like to sit in the sun with a good book!” she shared. “I’m involved with various activities at my church. This summer I’ve been taking turns driving my dad to radiation appointments and I appreciate that car time with him. As a family we like to play cards, games, bean bags, and spike ball. We also like to spend time on the Northern Minnesota lakes.”
Douma was asked if she brought with her ideas and goals for improving HMS Middle School. “When I got the job, my youngest son’s advice was ‘Don’t change anything… it’s a really good school!’” she said. “I think he was right! My goal is not to add more to the teachers’ plates… they are already doing so many good things. I would like to see more focus on social-emotional health/learning, strengthen parent and family partnerships and grow our community relationships.”