1976 CSC graduate receives top honor in Wyoming
A graduate of both Chadron High School and Chadron State College has been selected as the 2008-09 Wyoming High School Principal of the Year by the Wyoming Association of Secondary School Principals. Dirlene Steffe Wheeler is in her eighth year as principal at Sheridan High School, which has 902 students in grades nine through 12 and 75 full-time teachers. Last week, Newsweek Magazine selected Sheridan as one of the top 1,300 (6 percent) public high schools in the nation. It was the first time a
The superintendent of the Sheridan School District, Craig Dougherty, said Wheeler is “a joy to work with, is profoundly intelligent and is always pushing the envelope in order to provide the best for kids.”
Wheeler graduated from Chadron High in 1972 and received her bachelor’s degree from Chadron State in 1976 with a major in biology and a minor in chemistry. She earned her masters’s degree in adminstration from CSC in 1995.
She began her teaching career at Stapleton and after two years moved to North Platte, where she spent 18 years as a middle school and high school science teacher and coach. She went to Sheridan in 1997 as an assistant high school principal and was promoted to principal in 2000.
Wheeler’s parents, Dirl and Shirley Steffe, now live in Rapid City. He taught physics at Chadron State for 23 years before retiring. Wheeler’s husband, Neil, is a native of DeWitt, Neb., and formerly worked for the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality. Their son, Zach, is a senior math major and a starting linebacker for the football team at Chadron State.
Wheeler said Sheridan is a “great place to be a principal” because the school has a talented staff and outstanding facilities, and the community is extremely supportive of education. She noted that within the past year donations were received to put field turf on the football field and erect a two-story pressbox. Sheridan High also possesses what Wheeler calls “a world-class” weight room and fitness center that were built with community contributions.
Earlier this decade, Wheeler became the first person from Wyoming to be named to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation’s advisory council. After serving a three-year term on the council, she was elected to the corporation’s board of directors, comprised of corporate chairmen, college presidents and school administrators. She is one of just three principals on the board.
Two years ago, Sheridan High received the prestigious Siemens Award for its outstanding math and science teaching based on student success. New programs at SHS since Wheeler became principal include expanding Advanced Placement courses , statewide compressed video offerings in French and Spanish, participation in the High School Reform Breaking Ranks II Initiatives and a freshman mentoring program called Link Crew.
In addition, a Pathways program has been initiated to assist students in making career decisions and taking courses that will help them meet their post-secondary goals. The school also has an articulated agreement with Sheridan College in career and technical education, and has Wyoming’s first registered apprenticeship program through the U.S. Department of Labor. Sheridan students can receive certification in business, nursing and welding, Wheeler said.
The assistant principal at Sheridan High is Kevin Smidt, who earned his master’s degree in administration from Chadron State in 1992 while he was teaching in Scottsbluff. He was chosen the Wyoming Assistant High School Principal of the Year four years ago.
Category: Campus News