By Julie Slama | [email protected]

Shortly before Bryan Rudes walked out of Midvale Middle School for the last time as an assistant principal there, the staff and faculty declared, unbeknown to him, it was “Bryan Rudes” day.

Dozens of his colleagues all donned plaid shirts, representing his typical wardrobe.

“I walked into work, turned and looked in Mindy’s office and Mindy (Robison) was sitting there with Courtney (Long) and I was like, ‘What on earth are you two doing?’” he said about the Midvale Middle principal and co-assistant principal. “Then, I walked through the halls, and everybody’s dressed up. It was pretty, pretty sweet. It was one of the most thoughtful and sweet things that anybody’s ever done for me.”

Even so, Rudes isn’t planning to establish a Bryan Rudes day as the new principal at East Sandy Elementary. But he will miss Midvale Middle, which is just 2.5 miles away.

“The biggest thing (I’ll miss) is the sense of community. We have a great faculty and staff and a great set of students as well as parents that are very supportive the whole time I was there. I’ve built a rapport with them for the last five years,” he said, adding that he already has sensed an involved group he will be working with at his new school.

Texas educator Divya Nagpal comes to Canyons District as Midvale Middle’s assistant principal to replace Rudes. 

Rudes and Nagpal are just two of several administrative appointments the Canyons Board of Education approved for the 2021-22 school year.

Other appointments include:

• Angela Wilkinson, who was East Sandy’s principal, now is Sunrise Elementary’s principal. Margaret Swanicke, who has served as Sunrise Elementary’s principal, now is Midvalley Elementary’s principal, replacing Tamra Baker, who is appointed Bell View Elementary’s principal.

• Elenoa Pua, who has been a charter school principal, will be East Midvale Elementary’s assistant principal, replacing Danya Bodell.

• Michelle Shimmin becomes the administrator of Canyons Online.

• Michelle Snarr, who has been Edgemont Elementary principal, is now Willow Canyon Elementary principal, succeeding the retiring Marilyn Williams. 

• Elcena Saline, who has been Sandy Elementary assistant principal, replaces Snarr as principal at Edgemont. Anne Hansen now is Sandy Elementary’s assistant principal, taking Saline’s vacant position.

• Doug Hallenbeck is CTEC’s principal, after serving as its assistant principal. It relieves Janet Goble, CTEC’s director, of the dual role of principal and director.

• Wendy Dau, who has been Jordan High’s principal, is the Federal and State Programs in the Equity, Inclusion and Student Services director. She replaced the retiring Karen Sterling. Corner Canyon High Assistant Principal Bruce Eschler succeeds Dau as Principal of Jordan High. Juab School District’s Ken Rowley will replace Eschler at Corner Canyon.

• Chanci Loran, who has been Bell View Elementary’s principal, will become an Equity, Inclusion, and Student Services administrator. She replaces Colleen Smith, who will become Copperview Elementary’s principal after Jeri Rigby retired. 

• Mary Simao, who has been a Jordan High intern administrator now takes on the role of assistant principal at Jordan High.

• Jared Tucker, who served in the district’s responsive services department, now is an Alta High assistant principal, succeeding Garry True, who has retired.

• Former Alta High Assistant Principal Kelcey Kemp now serves in that role at Jordan High, replacing the retiring Jana Crist. Union Middle Assistant Principal Shelly Karren is replacing Kemp at Alta. Midvale Elementary Assistant Principal Ashley McKinney is replacing Karren and Copperview’s Carolee Mackay now is the Midvale Elementary assistant principal.

• Hillcrest teacher specialist Ari Tavo now is the high school’s assistant principal.

• Draper Park Middle Assistant Principal Jodi Roberts will move to Brighton High as assistant principal as Mark Mitchell will move to Draper Park Middle in the same position.

• Karlie Aardema, who has worked in the instructional supports department, now is Indian Hills Middle’s assistant principal, replacing Halley Nelson. Nelson is Butler Middle’s assistant principal, replacing Sara Allen, who transferred to Ridgecrest Elementary as an assistant principal. 

• Genny Poll, of the responsive services department, now is Butler Middle’s assistant principal, replacing Dan Ashbridge, who is now Midvalley Elementary’s assistant principal.

•Kalisi Uluave, from the Salt Lake School District, now is an Alta High assistant principal, replacing Kelli Miller, who left the district. 

•Amanda Parker, from the Jordan School District, is Albion Middle School’s assistant principal, replacing Sandy LeCheminant who has become an achievement coach.