New superintendent ready to bring change to district

After months of uncertainty, Harrisburg has finally announced the hiring of a new superintendent.

It was announced at the Nov. 15. school board meeting that Carmi-White County principal, Amy Dixon, would be the districts superintendent. 

“They (school board) hired me in November to start on Jan. 1.,” Dixon said. “My interview was with the entire board, and Mike Gauch. They were great and asked a lot of different questions for over an hour.

This is not Dixon’s first time working in a school setting.

“I’ve been working in schools for 26 years,” Dixon said. “I started as a school social worker, then I became principal of an alternative school in Carmi.”

Dixon has been working as a principal for 21 years. 

“After being a principal for over 20 years, I’m ready to lead a district as a superintendent,” Dixon said. “All my experiences have been within a K-12 district.”

The job is different than what shes done before, Dixon is ready to take on the role of a leader.

“Most of my background is in curriculum; I’m excited to go into working with that,” Dixon said. “I hope to help kids explore learning. I want kids to like coming to school, no matter what they’re going into.”

Dixon has known she has wanted to work with children for many years.

“When I was your age, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but I always wanted to work with kids,” Dixon said. “I went to the University of Illinois, and when I was doing my undergrad, what made me want to go into school is how much I like helping people.” 

Dixon has some big shoes to fill from past superintendents for our district.

“The pressure is on with calling school out for inclement weather,” Dixon said. “Gauch is known for singing, so I’ll have to get creative.”

Overall, Dixon is enthusiastic about becoming a part of Harrisburg’s community and the school district.

“Every community is a little different,” Dixon said. “I can already tell there are a lot of great things happening in Harrisburg.”

She encourages students interested in becoming a teacher to hone in on that passion.

“I think being a teacher or admin is the best job in the whole world,” Dixon said. “You don’t only impact students, but their family, and whole community. I’d encourage any student to become a teacher or principal. I love helping people find that passion and help them achieve it.”