Denison Middle School Principal Patti Ryan received a surprise message last week Wednesday.

Since the school’s landlines were not working, she received a text from Toby Young, middle school principal with MMCRU (Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn/Remsen Union) that she had been named the 2024 Iowa Middle Level Principal of the Year by the School Administrators of Iowa (SAI).

“It is truly an honor to be selected,” Ryan said. “It is exciting to represent Denison Community Schools and the State of Iowa. The first thing I did was tell my kids!”

Ryan, a 1985 Denison High School graduate, has been the Denison Middle School principal since 2017, and a secondary curriculum director.

Before becoming the middle school principal, she served in school improvement/human resources for Maple Valley-Anthon Oto Community School District.

From 1997 to 2005, Ryan taught seventh grade math at Denison Middle School, and before that taught fourth- through sixth-grade math for four years at Ar-We-Va. She served as a substitute teacher for two years when her children were young before entering the education field full time in 1993 at Ar-We-Va.

In a release, SAI Executive Director Lisa Remy said, “Patti Ryan has been selected by her peers due to her exceptional leadership and dedication to the Denison school community. With her unwavering commitment to student success, Patti has made a profound impact on her school community by working tirelessly behind the scenes. Her passion for education and steadfast advocacy for students sets a shining example for educators everywhere.”

A committee of Iowa middle level principals selected Ryan, and she will be recognized at the association’s annual conference in August.

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SAI, a statewide organization founded in 1987, represents 2,200 Iowa educational administrators. SAI's mission is to support, encourage and develop Iowa’s educational leaders and learners.

Ryan earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Buena Vista University, a master’s degree in teaching from Morningside University, her PK-12 principal and PK-12 special education supervisor certification from Iowa Principals Leadership Academy in Storm Lake and her advanced studies certificate for the superintendency from the University of Northern Iowa.

Her career in education received direction from a number of mentors over the years.

“Teachers I had in the Denison district were some of the best role models,” she said in an email interview with The Denison Free Press.

“Mrs. Collette Huntley was certainly a standout for me as a new middle schooler struggling to fit in and to be myself at the same time. As a new teacher, Mr. Bob Gress, former Ar-We-Va elementary principal, was so encouraging and supportive and I still think often of his advice to always keep learning,” Ryan said.

She said she loves what she gets to do every day at Denison Middle School.

“The things that are most fulfilling are watching students and teachers grow and learn,” Ryan explained. “Middle school students mature so fast, and when we send them off to high school, they are young adults where they came to us as 11-12 year olds. That is second on my list, and on the top is seeing them graduate just four short years later, ready to take on what is next in their adult lives.

“We are all working to have a thriving culture in our school, and the people I get to work with - from the transportation department that get the kids to us safely to the maintenance staff that keep everything up and running to the kitchen staff who joyfully feed our kids to the leaders, teachers, and support staff who guide our kids - all simply amaze me.”

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