Last Monday at the most recent school board meeting, board members voted on who would take the principal position at GHS starting in 2025-26. Out of all the candidates, they approved the contract for Theresa Huttmann, with all six board members voting yes.
Transitioning into the next school year, GHS will look and feel different because the current principal, Todd Mueller, has decided to retire at the end of 2024-25. Mueller has worked for the Gretna school district for 32 years. Huttmann said he is already trying to prepare the school and teachers for as seamless a transition as possible.
“Mr. Mueller is really effective at building relationships with kids, of holding super high expectations of their behavior, academics of all of that, but also like relating to them in a way that keeps their dignity, their humility, their humanity,” she said. “He doesn’t talk down to kids. He talks to kids like they’re just as human as the rest of us because they are. So I’ve learned all of that from him.”
Huttmann has taught for a total of 25 years starting out as an English and journalism teacher after receiving her bachelor’s degree from Doane University. She has two additional masters degrees, one in Curriculum and Instruction and the other in Educational Leadership. She gradually climbed up the education ladder to assistant principal and finally, principal. But this wasn’t always her plan.
“I just changed enough things in my teaching career to kind of keep me motivated and keep me happy,” Huttmann said.
The principal candidate interviews were split into three parts, each one taking about an hour. They involved multiple education leaders in the community to ensure they covered every angle they could and chose the best person for Gretna High School. The first panel was led by superintendent Travis Lightle; the second, by Andrew Rinaldi, the executive director for GPS human resources; and GHS Assistant Principal and Athletic Director Matthew Curtis, Gretna East Principal Chad Jepsen and a couple of district special education directors served in the third group.
Curtis said the interview had lots of components. The questions helped to gauge the person’s leadership style, former experience, their views on certain issues public school educators face, school demographics, ability to engage in teamwork and visionary questions.
“She has experience here, she’s worked with everybody here, she’s worked with Mr. Mueller, she’s worked with principals before Mr. Mueller,” he said. “I think the transition is going to be pretty seamless.”
After getting her teaching degree, Huttmann initially strove to get a doctorate to teach at a college level with the goal of teaching other teachers. Things changed.
“Then we had four kids, and it’s really hard to do something different when you have a whole bunch of little kids, I know,” she said. “So I just kind of stuck with teaching and worked through that.”
Huttmann chose to return to school in order to acquire her ELL (English Language Learner) endorsement and worked with students to help improve their reading skills.
With Mueller leaving Gretna in a good spot, Huttmann does not see major problems ahead. She said Mueller has been such a great role model for his teachers and has pushed them past their boundaries and continued to educate them.
Huttmann said she is looking forward to leading GHS into its new chapter.
“I just have always really liked working with kids,” Huttmann said, “to be able to help get them to the next step in their lives.”
