Ann Kim first joined Stanley Middle School in 2006 as a special education teacher. She spent three years in that role, before becoming an elementary school reading specialist, a principal at Lafayette Elementary School and an administrator. Two decades later Kim is coming full circle, beginning a new chapter as the principal of Stanley Middle School. 

    Kim says that spending the past three years in district level positions, affirmed her choice to rejoin Stanley. “My heart belongs on a school site interacting with kids every day,” Kim said. 

    Between Kim’s roles in the classroom and in administrative roles, she brings more than three decades of experience to Stanley and she’s excited to join Rachel Decker and Cristina So as administrators at the middle school. In terms of what Stanley students can look forward to this year, Kim says there’s a newly adopted math program, an effort to strengthen multi-tiered systems of support with counselors, school psychologists and the administrative team.

    “The entire staff will be working together to reinforce The Stanley Way – our Stanley School norms,” Kim says. “Spending time at the beginning of the year setting high expectations for our students is of utmost importance as we kick off the school year.”

    Kim encourages Stanley students to take advantage of opportunities to get involved while forging their paths as middle schoolers. “There are so many clubs and activities for students to participate in that each student will be able to find a home,” Kim says. 

    Farida Mishak is a rising seventh grader at Stanley Middle School. She remembers having Ms. Kim as her principal until she was in third grade at Lafayette Elementary School. “It will be fun to have Ms. Kim again,” Mishak says. “I remember her being really nice and it’ll be really cool to have her at my school again.” 

    Kim is replacing Brian Mangold, who joined Stanley Middle School in 2005 as a special education teacher, before becoming the assistant principal in 2023 and the principal for the last three years. 

    In summer, the Stanley Parent Teacher Association presented Mangold with a friendship bench in honor of his more than two decades of service at Stanley.

    “It has been an honor to be a part of the Stanley Middle School community,” Mangold said, prior to his departure. “I wish everyone the best of luck as they continue their journeys. 

    I have faith that students will continue to be in good hands here at Stanley.”