Des Moines Public Schools is pleased to announce a longtime district leader, Mekisha Barnes, will be the next principal at Weeks Middle School. Barnes is currently the principal of King Elementary School and was previously the International Baccalaureate and World Languages Coordinator for DMPS. Weeks Middle School, located at 901 East Park Avenue, educates nearly 750 students in grades 6-8. Barnes has a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Simpson College and a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Drake University. She started her teaching career in Longmont, CO in 1997, returning home to Des Moines to teach at Smouse Opportunity School in 2001. Since then, she has taught elementary and middle school at King, Park Avenue, Downtown School and Gateway Secondary School. “I am beyond excited and honored to join the Weeks staff, students, family and community,” said Barnes. Barnes brings more than seven-and-a-half years of experience teaching and leading at the secondary school level. As principal she was a key member of the Drake University/King Academy Educational Partnership and serves on councils, committees and teams promoting goal-oriented plans to positively influence everything from student behavior to school vision to the improvement of Iowa Assessment scores. Recently she has been a member of the school district’s Equity Committee, the Algebra Task Force, and the Antiracist Team. “Mekisha has proven, time and again, her commitment to our students as well as our school communities,” said Noelle Nelson, executive director of teaching and learning at DMPS. “Her experience makes her an ideal leader to engage with the staff and families at Weeks to realize the goals for student success.” The current Weeks principal, Cheryl Modlin, has accepted a position with another school district. A search for Barnes’ replacement at King will begin soon. Inspired by a great leader, Bright College is taking a new approach to education. Want to do school differently? So do we. Our two-year associate degrees are designed to accelerate your career. drake.edu/bright
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