EACSD Board hires Sarah Updegraff as new Kee High School/Middle School Principal

The Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD) Board of Directors met in a pair of recent special sessions, one on each side of the start of the month of May, to address the principal vacancy at Kee High School/Middle School in Lansing following the announcement of the retirement of current Kee High School/Middle School Principal Mary Hogan. The board initially met Thursday, April 30 in what ended up being a closed session lasting nearly two hours to review and discuss applicants for the Kee High School/Middle School Principal position.

Following that initial closed session meeting, the board met again in special session Tuesday, May 5 to unanimously approve offering a contract to Sarah Updegraff for the Kee High School/Middle School Principal position. In conjunction with that contract offer, it was also approved to further assign the duties of New Albin Elementary School Principal to Updegraff until current Lead Teacher at New Albin Elementary School Donna Thomas could complete her administrative certification to fully assume those duties. Hogan and Thomas have been filling that elementary administrative role since the resignation of former New Albin Elementary Principal Chad Steckel in September of 2019.

Updegraff comes to the EACSD after a 10-year stint as principal at New Hampton High School. Prior to that she served in a vice principal position in the Des Moines public school system. She completed her initial undergraduate education at Luther College in Decorah and her Masters and Doctorate degrees in Education at Drake University in Des Moines.