New St. Benediuct's School principal: "I care about the kids"

Newly-hired St. Benedcit's School Principal Steve Haluska one year ago thought it might be time for him to leave the field of education after working in it for 33 years.

So he quit his job as Carroll High School Principal and started working with Monsanto as a seed representative.  That job didn't last long.  "I deeply missed the kids," Haluska tells decorahnews.com.  He missed the camaraderie with other educators and he missed feeling like her had installed lifetime qualities in young people.

So when Halsuka saw a posting for the St. Benedict's job on teachiowa.gov, he realized he didn't want to leave education.  It wasn't just the chance to return to education that appealed to him, either.  "The trout farm, the eagle's nest, the kind, welcoming people...it's a pretty unique setting," he says of Decorah.

Haluska is so eager to get started in his new job he will be here Tuesday--July 1st.  He'll not only be doing some house hunting, but will try to meet with St. Benedict staff members and as many community people as possible.

Haluska says people in Decorah will learn that he cares about the kids he meets and tries to get to know them on a personal basis.  That was his practice in Carroll, where graduates would return to the high school to tell him how they were doing after graduation.  "Those are the things that mean something to me," he says.