PCSD Welcomes New Administration Staff

August 14th, 2018 /
Shauna Sprunger /
Elementary School, News, Recognitions and Awards, Schools, Secondary Schools, Updates/Announcements

As the new school year quickly approaches, we wanted to take a moment to recognize our many new administrative staff members. These include Jessica Hansen, Mike Barker, Seth Hansen, Mark Burge, Momi Tu’ua, Lyndsay Huntsman, Mary James and Nicki Wake.

Jessica Hansen (Assistant Principal at Wasatch)

Jessica Hansen is the new assistant principal at Wasatch Elementary School. Jessica has worked in Provo City School District for the past eight years. She began as a 4th grade teacher at Provost Elementary School, where she was named the Teacher of the Year for the 2014-2015 school year. Beginning in June 2015, Hansen was a Clinical Faculty Associate within the district. In this capacity, she mentored, observed, evaluated and provided feedback to teaching interns, student teachers and practicum students from Brigham Young University. During the 2016-2017 school year, she was an Administrative Intern at Centennial Middle School and she has spent this school year at Spring Creek Elementary School as the Behavior Support Specialist.

Hansen received her Bachelors in Elementary Education with a Science Emphasis from Utah State University. She then earned her ESL endorsement and Masters of Education, School Leadership from Brigham Young University.

Mike Barker (New Principal at Lakeview)

Mike Barker began his career teaching science and health at Dixon Middle School for four years. He then moved to Centennial Middle School when it first opened in 1996 and taught 7th grade science and a multimedia class teaching video editing. He remained at Centennial until 2016, when he moved to Westridge Elementary to serve on the administrative team as the STEM Coordinator. In 2017, he moved to Wasatch Elementary where he served as Assistant Principal.

Mr. Barker attended BYU, where he received his Bachelor’s degree in Biology/Secondary education. He has also received a Master of Education – Instructional Technology from Utah State University and a Master of Education – Educational Leadership from Brigham Young University. He received his Educational Administration License in 2015.

Seth Hansen (New Principal at Rock Canyon)

Seth Hansen has worked in education since 2006 when he became a special education and business teacher at Paradigm High School. He then moved to Midvale Middle School, where he taught special education, until he moved to Provo City School District in 2009. In Provo, Hansen has taught special education at both Amelia Earhart Elementary School and Timpanogos Elementary School. From 2012-2014, Hansen was the special education facilitator at both Franklin Elementary School and Provo High School. For the past four years, he has been an assistant principal at Provo High School.

Mr. Hansen attended Utah Valley University, where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting. He then received a Master’s of Education – Special Education from the University of Utah. He received his Educational Administration License in 2012.

Mark Burge (New Principal at Provo Peaks)

Mark Burge will be replacing Geo Guzman, who accepted a position out of the district, on July 1. Mark has worked in education for 17 years, with most of that time spent in elementary schools. He has taught 6th grade, 4th grade and PE. Burge has also spent time time as a BYU facilitator, where he supervised student teachers, interns and pre-service education teachers. For the last seven years, Mark has been the Principal at Blanding Elementary School in San Juan School District. Blanding Elementary is a Title 1 school with a diverse population where he helped to improve student learning and growth, and created a culture of collaboration and teacher professional development.

Momi Tu’ua (New Assistant Principal at Timpview)

Momi Tu’ua brings a wealth of educational knowledge to Provo City School District. She will be replacing Lyndsay Huntsman, who was recently named as the new CTE Director for Provo City School District, on July 1. Over the past four years, Tu’ua has served as a senior education specialist for the Utah State Board of Education. In this capacity, she has overseen the implementation and support of major federal programs across the state of Utah. Her most recent assignment includes supporting school districts and families with adoption of sound Section 504 policy, Title IX, Title VI and OCR compliance. Momi’s career in education began with counseling tenures at both Provo and Timpview High School. Mrs. Tu’ua is a native of the North Shore of Hawaii, a graduate of Brigham Young University and currently resides in Provo with her family.

Lyndsay Huntsman (New CTE Director)

Lyndsay Huntsman has been named as the new CTE Director for Provo City School District. Lyndsay was previously an Assistant Principal at Timpview High School.

Lyndsay has worked in education since 2007, beginning as a teacher for two years at Morgan High School. In 2009, she moved to Park City School District where she served in many capacities, including as a teacher, an Assistant Principal at Park City High School, the Director of the Park City Center for Advanced Professional Studies (PCCAPS) and as Principal at the Park City Learning Center. In 2016, she joined Provo City School District as an Assistant Principal at Timpview High School.

Huntsman has a Bachelors of Arts degree in Sports Administration from William Penn University, a Bachelors of Science degree in Business from Weber State University and a Masters of Education degree from Southern Utah University.

Mary James (New Assistant Principal at Provo High)

Mary James has been named as the new Assistant Principal at Provo High School. Mary replaces Seth Hansen, who was recently named the Principal at Rock Canyon Elementary School.

Beginning in 2001, Mary has worked in many different positions in Provo City School District, including CTE educator, Teacher Leader and Department Chair. She has taught, designed and implemented curriculum and programs for various CTE courses at both Dixon Middle School and Independence High School, as well as for after-school and summer school programs. Mary has also chaired numerous committees in professional development, as well as teacher and student support programs. From 2005 to 2013, she served as a new teacher mentor. Most recently, Mary has been the Dean of Students at Independence High School.

Prior to coming to Provo City School District, Mary spent one year as a CTE teacher at Canyon Del Oro High School in Tucson, Arizona, five years as the District School to Careers Coordinator and Level One Instructor for Mammoth San Manuel Unified School District in San Manuel, Arizona and three years as a teacher for the Arizona Boys Ranch in Oracle, Arizona.

Mary received her Bachelor of Arts degree in business education with a marketing endorsement from Prescott College. She completed her first Master’s program in educational leadership with a vocational education emphasis at Northern Arizona University and completed a second Master’s program in instructional technology and learning sciences at Utah State University.

Nicki Wake (New Provo Adult Education Coordinator)

After student teaching at Timpview High School and graduating from BYU, Nicki Wake worked in the Unitah School District, the Murray School District, and the Provo city School District. All of her work in education has been in alternative or adult educational settings. She has worked for the last 14 years at Provo Adult Education, where she has enjoyed working with adult students as they work towards earning their high school diplomas.