Norris School District

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Dr. John Skretta

Area(s):  Superintendent

Blog: I blog at http://skrettasscintillatingsalutations.blogspot.com/

Twitter: I Tweet @jskretta at www.twitter.com  Follow me, I'll follow you, we'll exchange tweets!

Home Town:  Mount Vernon, Iowa, home of the mighty Mustangs!  I am a proud graduate of MVHS: http://www.mountvernon.k12.ia.us/

Years in administration: 10

Degrees Held & Institution Received From: 
Doctor of Education, UNL - UNO (2008): Dissertation: Walkthroughs: A Descriptive Study of Nebraska High School Principals' Use of the Walkthrough Teacher Observation Process.

Master of Education, University of Nebraska - Lincoln (2000): Education Administration
 

Master of Arts, University of Nebraska - Lincoln (1994): English
Areas of specialization include linguistics and composition theory and rhetoric.

Bachelor of Arts in English with Highest Distinction, University of Nebraska - Lincoln (1991)

Favorite things about being a school administrator:
I love the opportunity to interact every day with students who are working toward the attainment of meaningful life goals and to marshal the resources to help teachers enhance their instruction.  I believe we must infuse a sense of enthusiasm in all our endeavors as educators.  Every day is an opportunity to move closer to the attainment of personally meaningful individual learning goals.  Education administration is a deeply rewarding enterprise because I get the chance to play a big role in helping all students, teachers and staff, and the community work together on behalf of student learning.

Community:

Family:

My wife Sara Landgren Skretta is a graduate of the UNL doctoral program in Ed Ad.  She is the Director of Human Resources for the University of Nebraska Foundation: http://nufoundation.org/

Sons Tony, Coby, Sam and Ben.  All four boys attend Norris.

We are big Husker fans and proud to be Norris Titans!

Hobbies:

Running: I love running for health, fun, and fitness. I have completed marathons in Lincoln, Omaha, Kansas City, and ran my first ever Boston Marathon in April, 2010.  The pic to the left shows me about an hour after completing Boston and I am ecstatic because I am about to collapse into my hotel bed for what I considered a well-deserved nap! 

I joined Angry Cow racing team  (www.angrycowadventures.com) for the camaraderie and challenges it will offer me in running, and Tony and I completed our first ever Adventure Race together during the June 2010 Cornhusker State Games. 

Reading: I love reading, both personal and professional.  I just finished Red by Sammy Hagar, which chronicles his adventures and life story in and outside of rock music.  I also just finished reading John Elder Robison's Look Me In The Eye (My Life With Asperger's) http://www.amazon.com/Look-Me-Eye-Life-Aspergers/dp/0307395987  - this is an amazing story of one young man's resilience and adaptability in living with Asperger's. 

Professional Affiliations include:

Nebraska Council of School Administrators

Association of School Administrators

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

American Association of School Personnel Administrators

Honors & Awards:

Healthy Schools Champion, 2010

One of 10 national winners for promoting Healthy School Environments recognized by the Alliance For A Healthier Generation (http://www.healthiergeneration.org) Norris is proud to be an Alliance partner district.

Current Presentations & Publications:

I have been invited to present at NAPHERD state conference in November with Board member Jim Craig on regional wellness initiatives. 

I have been invited to present at NASB (School Boards) state education conference in November in Papillion on fostering public engagement around the budgetary process.

I presented with Julane Hill of NDE on Building Healthy School environments at Administrator Days in Kearney August 2nd. 

I was an invited panelist at the National Healthy Schools Forum in Little Rock, Arkansas in June, 2011. 

I presented on Coordinated School Health and connection between health and academic achievement at the spring 2011 National School Boards' conference with Lori Stern of the Alliance For A Healthier Generation.

I have authored a chapter in the NCTE Publication Reading Stephen King and had articles published in English Journal.