Educator spent eight years in Manawa

By Holly Neumann

After 33 years in the education field, including the last eight as the Manawa School District’s middle and high school principal, Dan Wolfgram is retiring at the end of the 2022 school year.

The relationships that he built with the staff, community and students will always be one of the most endearing aspects of his job, he said.
“The other aspect of the job was the variety that every day brought,” Wolfgram said. “There were never two days the same.”

When Wolfgram first came to Manawa, there was a large turnover of teachers, administrators and school board members.

“Trying to navigate with all new leadership was the first challenge,” he said. “Navigating the staff and students through the pandemic was also certainly one of the biggest challenges.”

Wolfgram was also part of the team that led the staff through the referendum project.

“This initiative greatly improved the learning spaces for the students and the impact will be felt for decades to come,” he said. “I feel very proud of the accomplishments we were able to achieve as a team.”

Wolfgram said he hopes his colleagues remember that he was passionate about doing his very best for students and the school.

“I went into education to make a difference in people’s lives and I hope in some small way I contributed to making their lives better,” he said.

“As Maya Angelou said, ‘At the end of the day, people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.’”

The biggest change Wolfgram has seen over the years is the advancement and reliance on technology.

“My generation went to school without computers, cell phones or the Internet,” he said. “Technology has been a game-changer in the field of education. Teachers have learned to adapt multiple times to supplement and enhance their delivery of instruction with the integration of technology.”

Post-retirement plans

Following his retirement, Wolfgram will work in the private sector and look through the educational window from a different perspective.

“I was ready for a change and after the pandemic, I realized that I needed to have a better work/life balance,” he said. “I will miss the people, but I know the close relationships I have made with the staff and community will last a lifetime.”

Wolfgram would like the person that fills his position to know that they are going to be working with an unbelievable and caring staff.

“I would focus on creating and fostering positive, caring, working relationships with the staff,” he said. “Listen to your stakeholders and collaborate with them. Change is one of the hardest things to lead and it doesn’t happen overnight. Take stock of what is working well and look toward creative thinking and innovation to make needed changes.

“Also, make sure that you create boundaries for your personal life,” he added. “It is way too easy to have the job take over every aspect of your life. Lastly, always ask yourself, ‘What is best for kids?’ and commit to it.”