T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY Outgoing Marshalltown High School Dean of Students Dan Terrones, right, shared a warm moment with student Damien Rodriguez at summer school on Wednesday. Terrones officially retired Thursday after 25 years with the MCSD.

When Dan Terrones and his wife Andrea decided they wanted to raise a family, they knew it was time to leave the San Antonio area — where he was teaching physical education and second grade — and return to their home state of Iowa. Dan, a Gilbert native, and Andrea, who hails from Cedar Rapids, found the perfect spot in Marshalltown.

It almost never came to be, as Dan admitted he came close to a few administrative jobs in Texas after completing his master’s degree, but applying for an at-risk position at Anson Middle School, and ultimately, the associate principal job there, brought him back to Central Iowa in 1998. The rest, as they say, is history.

Terrones wrapped up a 25-year career with the Marshalltown Community School District on Thursday after spending the last decade as the MHS dean of students. His duties, he explained, were very similar to those of an associate principal, as he handled everything from student discipline to teacher evaluations to running summer school for the month of June, but he always stayed on a 10-month contract so he could keep a vacation.

Because so much of his job has revolved around disciplinary matters, Terrones has waded through a challenging landscape in the post-COVID era as stories of student misbehavior have made headlines around the country.

“I think the number of behavior issues has definitely increased. The severity and the level still seems to be the same. Kids are kids, and I really believe that when you demonstrate that you like students and enjoy being around them, it’s harder for them to act out, to not follow through with what you’ve asked them to do,” he said. “They’ll know that you care about them, that you’re on their side. Really, there’s very few students that you can’t work with.”

The positive relationships he’s built with students, fellow staff, parents and community members have been the highlight of Terrones’s career in Marshalltown, while the biggest challenge has simply been the time commitment required to fulfill all of his administrative duties — it’s not an 8 to 4 job, as he put it.

“Dan will be long remembered for the strong relationships he has built with thousands of students and parents during his tenure at Anson Middle School and Marshalltown High School. In addition to being the Dean of Students, he has provided opportunities for students to learn and explore health science jobs and careers through his voluntary leadership with the MHS Health Careers Club,” Superintendent Theron Schutte said. “Marshalltown CSD is thankful for the service he has provided to our students, parents, his colleagues and community over the years.”

One student, Merissa Mixdorf, said he motivated her when she was struggling in school and helped her to reverse course as she is now set to graduate in June.

“Yesterday, I emailed him and he’s like ‘I’m so proud of you for coming in and devoting yourself to work,’ so he’s been very amazing,” she said. “He taught me not to give up on my dream because I didn’t think I was gonna graduate and he’s like ‘You can do it.’ So he told me not to give up.”

Scott Johannes, who serves as a student resource specialist at MHS, said Terrones has taught him to look for the good in students and put them in a place where they can ultimately succeed and graduate.

“What we’ve done over the last several years is really connect some of those dots,” Johannes said. “If a traditional classroom isn’t working, why not? Where can we find a spot for them, whatever that might be, and help them choose how they can be successful?”

Johannes remarked that his colleague is probably one of the only school administrators in the state who will suspend a student and subsequently give them a ride home, to the point that when they get in trouble again, they’ll be asking to speak with Mr. Terrones.

“One of the strictest punishments we have is that suspension, but yet, the kid knows that they were supported through the tough choice the kid made at the time,” Johannes said. “There are so many students we’ve connected with that reach out to him at who knows what time.”

Mark Finken, one of two associate principals at MHS, also spoke highly of Terrones, noting that he would go to meetings just to watch the way he handled situations and try to come up with something similar.

“One of the things I often say about Dan is (that) he doesn’t want any kid to ever feel like they were pushed out. Not every kid makes it through, but he wants to make sure that they understand that we gave every opportunity and we really try to re-engage every student…,” Finken said. “I think his connection to the community is gonna be a loss for us, in a sense, because we just don’t have the history that he does. Dan’s not afraid to jump in and take over something. He’s never one to say ‘That’s not my kid’ or ‘That’s not my department. There are times when he’ll start something and say ‘Do you want to take this over?’ But for the most part, he’s just very open to doing what needs to be done.”

During a quick break from summer school on Wednesday morning, MHS English Language Learners Instructor Hector Campos offered the most succinct endorsement of the outgoing administrator.

“Terrones knows kids, and he gets kids,” Campos said.

As the lone Hispanic member of the high school administration team, Terrones — who’s quick to point out that he doesn’t speak Spanish — has also seen the makeup of the district’s student body transform dramatically over his tenure.

“I think we are in a great position now that our business community, and I think our community in general, has embraced diversity as a positive,” he said. “At our graduation ceremony, we had at least 17 countries represented in our parade of flags, and just the feedback we received from that one event celebrating the makeup of our school, I think it energized us. And we need to keep moving forward with ‘How do we promote Marshalltown High School as a school of choice but also as a school that really is a perfect picture of the makeup of the world?’ I love that.”

And despite the fact that he isn’t bilingual, he still feels that Hispanic students and their families have felt comfortable coming to him in times both good and bad.

“I absolutely love the connection with the Hispanic families and even the other families that represent our school. When they see that I have a keen interest in them, that opens the door, but it’s always through a translator,” he said.

In retirement, Dan and Andrea plan to do some traveling now that their five children will be out of the house, but he also plans to stay deeply involved in the Marshalltown community in whatever way he can, with a specific desire to coach sports again. He’s sad that there are students going through MHS now he won’t have a chance to get to know as well, but he’s thankful for all of the lives he was able to impact in one way or another.

“It’s the relationships that I have with the kids, with staff, with the community, with parents in an educational setting that I know I am going to miss tremendously. I’ll create other means and ways of connecting with families and such,” he said. “I’m gonna look for fun, enjoyable things to do in our community, and I’m gonna be active in our community because I believe in Marshalltown. I love this community.”

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Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.