NEWS :: Red Cloud Indian School

Red Cloud High School celebrates principal as he prepares to move onto a new job
posted on March 8, 2010

It was a decision that didn’t come easy for Nick Dressel.

But after more than eight years of service to Red Cloud Indian School as a teacher and high school principal, he will be moving on from the institution that found a special place in his heart. Dressel was recently hired as principal of Chadron Middle School in Nebraska.

“The decision to leave Red Cloud was difficult, but it was made in the best interest of my family and our current needs,” says Dressel. “My experience at Red Cloud has been nothing short of life changing. I will forever be grateful for the opportunities that Red Cloud has provided my family and me, and for the relationships that I have formed over the past eight years,” he says.

During his tenure at Red Cloud High School, Dressel has been instrumental in implementing a number of initiatives, playing an active role in the school’s new academic requirements and championing the recent addition to the high school. He has been a visible person in the hallways and in the classroom, working tirelessly to ensure that each student is given an opportunity to further their education in college.

“And Nick has always done this with a personal, caring approach to leadership while challenging our students as they walk toward their goals,” says Bob Brave Heart Sr., superintendent of schools.

Dressel began student teaching at Red Cloud in social studies in January of 2002. After completion of his student teaching hours, he graduated from Chadron State College with a bachelor of science in education degree. In August of 2002, he accepted a full-time position as a social studies teacher at Red Cloud High School while also working toward a post-graduate degree at Chadron State.

In August of 2004, Dressel was offered the job of dean of students, a position he excelled in for three years while earning his master of science in education degree in 2005. As the dean, Dressel became known not only for his hard work and dedication as an administrator but also for the interest and involvement that he took in his students’ lives. From 2005-2007, he was the head coach of the Red Cloud Crusader Football Team, taking them to the playoffs both years.

Dressel became the school’s high school principal in 2007.

“Nick took our academic program to another level, particularly in the areas of math, science and Lakota studies. He developed the ACT Prep Course in the high school that has increased student test scores every year. We have a community service hour requirement for seniors now because of Nick,” says Brave Heart.

He did all of this, according to Brave Heart, with a solid belief in the mission of the school. “He even became a Catholic because the school’s spiritual, intellectual and cultural mission became so ingrained in his everyday life.”

“Red Cloud has formed me not only as an educator but as the person that I am today,” says Dressel.

“I wouldn’t trade a single moment of the time that I have spent at Red Cloud,” he says.

Dressel’s final day at Red Cloud will be in June. A search committee has been formed to hire a new high school principal, who will begin duties August 2.

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