Blomberg takes over as new principal at Rib Lake high school

“My goal as principal is to make the school a great place for kids to learn,” said Aimee Blomberg, the new Rib Lake middle and high school principal.

Blomberg graduated from Rib Lake high school in 2006. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Northwestern in Saint Paul and her master’s degree from Viterbo. She worked near the Twin Cities at a charter school for two and a half years before moving back home to Rib Lake, where she has been the Title 1 coordinator and reading interventionist at Rib Lake elementary school for 11 years.

Although Blomberg has primarily educated younger students throughout her professional career, she has worked with middle and high school students through a church youth group.

“I think a mutual respect is really important. I respect them. They respect me. We are going to get along just great, and it’s going to be an excellent year together,” Blomberg stated.

For Blomberg, part of respecting students is understanding that they are at a complex place in their lives: “They are finding out who they are and growing into the adults they want to be, so I want this to be a safe place for them to do that.”

Blomberg believes in a restorative justice approach to discipline. “If a mistake is made with something, then the consequence is a natural consequence to that mistake and restores whatever was broken.” She explained if property is damaged by a student, the student will work to fix the property. Similarly, if a negative action harms a relationship, the disciplinary focus will be on rebuilding the relationship rather than solely on punishment.

As far as managing staff, Blomberg will take a shared leadership approach: “I want input from teachers, and as we’re talking about any types of shifts or how we want things to be run, that we’re making those decisions together.” She noted her favorite memory of her time in education is the lunchroom discussions between staff, emphasizing that the way educators support each other is “special.”

Similar to her desire for staff input, Blomberg encouraged parents to vocalize their thoughts. “If there are concerns, I certainly want to hear them. We can come up with a plan together and move forward for what’s best for each student.”

Outside of work, Blomberg enjoys playing sand volleyball with her husband, Sam. Additionally, she loves spending time with her family while camping, hiking, fishing and playing board games.

Blomberg’s favorite part about living in Rib Lake is seeing people she knows. “It’s fun to reconnect with old classmates, acquaintances, and people in the community and hear what’s going on in life.”