Dr. Amy Dittmar Named New Westwood Elementary Principal
Dr. Amy Dittmar will join Ankeny Community School District as the new principal of Westwood Elementary beginning in July. She will replace Jim Ford, who is retiring at the end of the 2011-2012 school year. Dr. Dittmar will be leaving her job as principal of Armstrong Elementary School in St. Louis, Missouri, where she has been employed by the Hazelwood School District (HSD) for the past 14 years. “I was very impressed with Dr. Dittmar throughout the application and interview process,” said Dr. Burce Kimpston, Associate Superintendent of Schools. “She possesses the requisite skills and experiences to continue to move Westwood forward.”
“I am excited to be part of an excellent school district,” Dr. Dittmar said. “The Ankeny Community School District has a reputation for being one of the best school districts in Iowa.”
Dr. Dittmar began her career in education as a fifth-grade teacher in San Antonio, Texas, where she was honored as the Sallie Mae Outstanding New Teacher of the Year in 1994. In 1998, she was hired by HSD as a fourth-grade teacher at Jury Elementary where she was named the school’s Teacher of Year in 2001. She became an instructional coach at Jury Elementary in 2001, and was hired as the assistant principal of Arrowpoint Elementary in 2004.
Dr. Dittmar helped develop curriculum focus and common assessments for grades K-6 during her time at Arrowpoint Elementary, and aided teachers in curriculum implementation while at Jury Elementary.
Dr. Dittmar has also worked with Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS), a program being piloted in some Ankeny schools. Both Armstrong and Arrowpoint received PBIS Awards of Excellence during her tenure. The purpose of the award is to identify and recognize schools for successful implementation of Schoolwide Systems of Positive Behavior Support with criteria based on effective implementation of key features outlined by the OSEP Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support.
Outgoing Principal Ford feels that Westwood will be in good hands with Dr. Dittmar at the helm.
“I think Amy will be great,” Ford said. “She has all the previous experiences and background to make her a good principal, and I think she’ll do a great job for Westwood. It makes me feel good to leave the school in such capable hands.”
Originally from Washington, Iowa, Dr. Dittmar is married to Brad, who is a PE teacher and also from Iowa. The couple has three children, Zoe, 11, Olivia, 9, and Drake, 6.
Dr. Dittmar graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She holds a master’s degree in educational administration from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri, and a doctorate of education in educational leadership from Maryville University in St. Louis, Missouri.
