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2010 Division Leadership Award, Joe Thimm
Joe Thimm, principal at Taylors Falls Elementary, Chisago Lakes, was nominated for the Central MESPA Division Leadership Achievement Award by his peers. The award honors principals whose exemplary leadership and sustained efforts have made noteworthy contributions to the operation of effective school learning programs --  improving education, their communities, and their profession.

In his principalship, Joe Thimm follows the philosophy:  “People don’t care what you know until they know that you care.”  Whether it is the staff, the students, or the parents, he wants all the people he serves to know that he is there to help.  Chisago Lakes colleague Warren Retzlaff, principal at Lakeside Elementary School, said that Thimm has been an inspiration to everyone he has worked with ever since he came to the district some 30 years ago.

To read more about Joe and the award, click here.




Mission: The Minnesota Elementary School Principals' Association is dedicated to promoting and improving education for children and youth, strengthening the role as educational leader for elementary and middle level principals, and collaborating with partners in education to assist in achieving these goals.

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