By Zac Zwaschka
Madison Daily Leader
Adam Shaw has spent the last 12 years as the principal of Madison High School, yet his time with the district will come to an end this summer. Shaw said it’s with both excitement and sadness that he looks to take the next step in his professional career after accepting the superintendent position at the Lennox School District.
Shaw will officially assume his new role in the 2025-26 school year. He was formally hired by the Lennox School Board during a Feb. 1 meeting.
“It’s the next step in my educational journey,” Shaw stated. “Believe me, at the beginning of the year, I wasn’t looking to move, but sometimes when opportunities present themselves, you’ve just got to take them. You’ve got to take that challenge on.”
Shaw came to MHS after serving as the superintendent of the Marion School District from 2010 to 2013, where he’d worked as its high school principal for the four years prior.
He noted he was first approached for the opportunity in mid-December, when a recruiting agency for superintendents around the state called to inquire if he’d like to reenter the role. In the moment, Shaw said he wasn’t fully interested, yet as time progressed, “things kind of came to fruition” to make the move seem like a proper fit.
One was his wife’s new job at Sanford Health in Sioux Falls, with another being the fact that Lennox’s current high school principal, Chad Allison, was the principal in Marion during Shaw’s tenure as superintendent. Shaw commented Allison gave him a personal call regarding his interest in the position as well.
“I just thought, well, I’ll throw my name in the hat and see where it goes,” Shaw remarked.
His application resulted in a phone call from the Lennox recruitment team on Jan. 25, where he was asked to come and interview for the position on Feb. 1.
“I spent my morning in Lennox (with) about four hours of interviewing with multiple committees and parents,” Shaw commented. “Got done, and about half an hour later, they called and offered me the job.”
Shaw explained while he’s enthusiastic for this fresh opportunity and challenge, it’s undeniably bittersweet to be closing the door on his time in Madison.
“I truly love it here. It’s not that I’m disgruntled or upset. I’m completely content,” Shaw remarked. “I’m looking at it as it’s a chance for me to grow professionally.”
“You know, I don’t have 20 years left in this game either,” he continued. “I’m on the downward turn of my career here, and it’s time for me to take that jump.”
Shaw noted how he’s looking forward to taking on increased leadership responsibilities in his return to the superintendent role, though this will unfortunately come with a decrease to one of his favorite aspects of being a principal, the constant interaction with the students.
“I won’t get the day-to-day interaction with them that I get now, and I’m going to miss that. That’s going to be hard,” he said.
Despite this, Shaw is confident he’ll be leaving the school in more than capable hands. He praised the entirety of the district for its steadfast dedication to the students and community at large, something he’s witnessed for well over a decade.
“I’m really proud of all the things we’ve gotten done in 12 years. I’ve been very, very lucky to have great leadership, a school board that supports what we do, a staff that has bought into what we do,” Shaw stated. “I’ve been extremely, extremely lucky.”
He added that while he won’t be directly involved in the search for his successor, he hopes he’ll be able to spend some time with them before fully passing the proverbial torch. Shaw also assured the public that regardless of his imminent departure, he’ll still be giving his all for the remainder of his time at MHS.
“I will exit, and it will be done right,” Shaw declared. “I’m not just going to check out. That’s not how I operate. We’re going to get some things done, and we’ll still be progressive and forward-thinking.”
“I have excitement, but I’m really sad at the same time that I have to shut a door on something that I’ve worked really hard at,” he added. “But saying that, I know that when I leave, whoever takes this over will do very well.”
Shaw described the days after his announcement as a bit of a whirlwind, with calls of congratulations flooding his phone from the likes of teachers, parents and former students.
One of these congratulations came from Madison Superintendent Joel Jorgenson, who provided the following statement to the Daily Leader:
“The Lennox School District has made a great decision in hiring Mr. Shaw as Superintendent. Mr. Shaw has always been a driving force for the betterment of our students. While this is a true loss for Madison Central and he will be greatly missed, I know that Mr. Shaw will do an excellent job for the Lennox School District,” Jorgenson wrote.
“It makes me feel good,” Shaw commented. “I know what I got done here was good for the community.”
The importance of community has always been integral to Shaw’s leadership philosophy, as he added that one his mottos is “it’s not about me.” He described how none of the school’s successes during his time would have occurred without Madison’s support, whether it was from parents, business partners or anyone else.
“I can’t thank them enough for what they’ve done for our kids,” Shaw stated. “This community is truly blessed.”
Additionally, Shaw’s move to Lennox also means an end to his time on the Madison City Commission, where he has served for the last five years. He will remain on the commission until June, when his seat will be filled by a one-year appointment.
“There’s been a lot of good things that’ve happened since I’ve been on the commission,” Shaw remarked, adding this includes items like the hiring of the city administrator, necessary infrastructure projects and the construction of Madison’s new City Hall.
“It’s been really good. I feel like we’re in a really good spot,” he added.
Reprinted from the Madison Daily Leader with permission.
