Skaalerud, Hansen Named Central Division Principals of the Year

(KNSI) – Two St. Cloud Area School District administrators are bringing home top honors from the Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals.

Apollo High School Principal Justin Skaalerud has been named Central Division High School Principal of the Year, and North Junior High School Principal Sascha Hansen has been named Central Division Middle School Principal of the Year. The recognitions were announced at the recent Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals conference.

To be considered for the award, a principal must have served in the role for at least three years and be nominated by a peer. The nomination requires a short essay, two letters of recommendation, and a sign-off from the superintendent.

Skaalerud is in his fourth year leading Apollo, where he previously spent three years as an assistant principal and seven years as a social studies teacher before stepping into the activities director role in 2018. He began his career in District 742 in 2006 and earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and K-12 principal and superintendent licensure from St. Cloud State University. Skaalerud has been a visible face of Apollo’s ongoing $50 million renovation project, which voters approved in April of last year and is scheduled for completion by 2028.

Hansen took over as principal at North Junior High in July of 2024 after spending two years as the school’s assistant principal. She joined District 742 in 2022 and has been an educator in central Minnesota for more than a decade, with prior teaching and administrative experience in the Sartell-St. Stephen School District.

The Central Division covers a wide swath of central Minnesota school districts.

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