Dressel Named Principal of Red Cloud High School
April 30, 2007

Formative moments in life come when you least expect them.

For Nick Dressel, recently announced as the new principal of Red Cloud High School, it came on a long bus ride home after the Red Cloud football team that he then-coached had suffered another grueling loss. “We were having a bad season—and I mean, a ‘bad' season—and I was feeling really down after the game,” he recalls, when all of the sudden, and at the top of their lungs, “the boys started singing trail songs in Lakota.”

For Nick, it was this simple moment that reinforced the reason he came to Red Cloud Indian School more than five years ago.

“These boys were able to rise above the pettiness of whether they had won or loss and simply enjoyed the time they were having together,” Nick says. “It reminded me how special this place really is.”

A graduate of Chadron State College, Nick earned a bachelor of science degree in education in 2002, and a master's degree in educational administration in 2005. In addition, he received his administration certification by the State of South Dakota , endorsed as a Secondary School Principal. At Red Cloud, Nick has served the school in a number of capacities: head football coach, high school dean of students and a teacher in US history, government and economics.

Now, he tackles the position of principal of the high school.

“I am really honored to take this next step in my professional life, but more so, to continue working with the incredible students and faculty on the reservation,” he says. “This is the only school of its kind in the country, and I hope to continue to carry on and grow the rich traditions of the school.”

When Nick assumes the position on August 6, he will work to place more focus on the service component of the school, as it is “integral to their formation as citizens of the world.” In the future, he envisions curriculum revisions as well.

Robert Brave Heart, superintendent, is thrilled that Nick will be joining the administrative team in a new capacity. “I am confident that he will bring competence, passion and continuity to the Red Cloud High School community.”