Being an elementary school principal takes a lot of heart and a passion for ensuring kids have a quality academic environment. New Hillcrest elementary principal Shannon Smith is eager to meet the community and students involved at Hillcrest as the 2022-23 school year approaches.
Smith may be a familiar face to some in town. She was the assistant principal at Mickelson Middle School last year, and has high hopes for Hillcrest as principal after 19 years in education. “I grew up in Minnesota. I was the assistant director of special services up in Watertown, and then spent the last two years at the middle school as the assistant principal there, and now I’ve moved over to Hillcrest,” she said, mentioning that her family moved back to the area from Washington state. “I am married to my kindergarten sweetheart… We have two kids, my daughter is 13 and my son is 8.”
Many students declare what they’d like to be when they grow up, and Smith has known for a long time that being a principal was her dream. “You know, this is something that I’ve always wanted to do. I feel like I have been given this incredible Christmas gift that just keeps giving, because this is something I’ve wanted to do forever. It’s been kind of my dream and passion, and so I’m getting to live out those dreams that you… write in your papers of what you want to do when you grow up. I’m getting to see that actually come to fruition, which is pretty awesome.” She hopes those dreams help forge valuable connections at Hillcrest. “I have a passion for building relationships with families and students, and take great pride in being just a small part of their educational journey.”
Smith’s goals as a principal come back to the community and staff. One of her goals is “to build relationships with the students, families and community first, because I believe Hillcrest is a community school and its vitality is important for the neighborhood around it and those who are in it.”
She also recognizes that much of Hillcrest’s success comes down to quality staff as well. “Another goal for me is to work with staff to really make this be an educational destination for families that really want to be here and to take the things that are already going really well at Hillcrest elementary and bring that to the next level academically.”
Like many passionate principals, Smith’s joy in the work comes down to the students. Laughing and reminiscing on crazy stories kids have told her, she said, “You can’t do this job if you don’t love kids, and I love kids.” Smith feels that, even at 40, interacting with students helps keep her young and learn to not sweat the small stuff. “I love listening to their stories about their favorite rocks, or their favorite thing that they did with their family at home, or their challenges that they have and get them to see that it’s just a small blip on the radar, and we can work together to get to the other side of whatever it is. But my passion is students and seeing them grow to their fullest potential.”

Hillcrest has an exciting school year ahead with plans for construction of a new building in the near future. “(The construction) is one thing that I am really excited about,” Smith said. “Hillcrest school, the history that is in the building right now, it’s pretty amazing to think that it’s been here since 1955… And so getting to be part of that process and be able to build a school that is going to last another 70-plus years, it’s pretty cool to be a part of that process and looking forward to being able to share that with the community as well.”
Students need be well aware that coffee is the way to Smith’s heart. “Mrs. Smith drinks 12 cups of coffee a day. If you get her before that, there’s no guarantees on what that interaction is going to be like!” she said, laughing.
If she could tell the students and families anything about Hillcrest, it’s that “in the short time that I have had so far to meet staff and really dig into things, I’m absolutely amazed at the staff in this building and their dedication to the building, to the students, and families. Any conversation that I have had is solely based around what is best for our families and our students. I don’t think as a principal you can coach that, that’s something that’s innate in people. And we by far have the best staff. Don’t tell the other schools in town, but I’ve got them!”
Smith wants students and family to know that being a principal can be “a lot of fun. I have the opportunity to see every student, and I get to play on the playground when I want to, I get to sit in on classrooms. You know, sometimes when principals have bad… or challenging days, the best way to combat all of that is to go sit in a kindergarten classroom and just be in all of that joy that is there.”
Even with hard days, Smith recognizes the value of the job. “…You get to see some pretty amazing things as a principal with students and share their success, in which I think is pretty cool.”
Smith left a bit of advice for students going into the 2022-23 school year, saying, “Every day’s a new day. You come in with a positive attitude, be ready to work hard and have fun every day. Every day’s a new day. If you have a bad day, guess what; you get to go to sleep and clean the slate for tomorrow, start fresh.”
On Tuesday, Aug. 16, Hillcrest is hosting a Playground Fun Night for students and their families from 5 to6 p.m. at the Hillcrest playground. Smith invited and encouraged families to join the event to connect with and meet other families, play on the playground, and meet Hillcrest staff like herself.

Contact Alison Simon at asimon@brookingsregister.com