Contributed Photo Marshalltown High School Principal Jacque Wyant was named a finalist for the School Administrators of Iowa 2021 Iowa Secondary Principal of the Year award.

Recognized for contributions to the educational community, Marshalltown High School Principal Jacque Wyant was named as a finalist for the 2021 Iowa Secondary Principal of the Year award by School Administrators of Iowa.

Recommended for the award by Superintendent Theron Schutte, Wyant said recognition from her supervisor gave her the most satisfaction.

“When Dr. Schutte told me he had nominated me, I was a little caught off guard,” Wyant said. “My work isn’t about the awards, my work is about doing great things for kids. That’s who I am.”

As an educator for more than 30 years, being a finalist feels like a culmination of her work and a nice place to be as she nears the end of her career, she said.

She wants to be sure her colleagues, especially teachers, are also recognized for their contributions, feeling the award is a representation of everyone’s work.

“These kinds of things are not done in isolation,” Wyant said. “It is the student leaders and the teacher leaders that make our work so great.”

Student centeredness in the classroom and making the voices of teachers heard has been a focus throughout Wyant’s career as an educator, and she believes it has helped her achieve success.

Before joining Marshalltown Community School District, Wyant started her education career as a mathematics teacher at Sioux City North High School and Bishop Heelan Catholic High School for a combined 15 years. She then served as assistant principal of West High School in Sioux City for six years and then head principal for four years.

Becoming the Marshalltown High School Principal in 2015, Wyant has helped implement a handful of changes making positive impacts in the district.

She introduced two school districts to one-to-one computers, to professional learning communities and introduced two to block scheduling.

“Change is a part of who I am as well, being a change agent and helping people to see that there are some great things they are doing and there’s little areas for improvement and we can do it together,” Wyant said.

She helped manage the GEAR Up Iowa grant, aimed at preparing students for college by offering opportunities for free college credit and creating a “college-going culture.” Wyant has credited the program for helping the district top a 90 percent graduation rate for 2020, the first time in more than a decade.

Wyant also contributed to implementing Bobcat Ready, a college and career readiness program helping students meet college-ready indicators and providing career-specific learning experiences. Since its implementation, the number of students meeting college and career readiness indicators has increased by more than 10 percent.

She also mentioned the district’s collaboration with the local business community as an important accomplishment, partnering with businesses to provide work-based learning.

“If I’m getting this award for achieving these results, it’s because other people like the business community have also been partners,” Wyant said.

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or tbabcock@timesrepublican.com.