Hannah Luber Named Wasmer Principal for 2025-26 School Year

GRAND ISLAND (Neb.) — A leadership transition will be taking place at Wasmer for the 2025-26 school year.

Mr. Jim Tews, Wasmer Principal, has shared that he will be leaving the district at the end of the current school year.  We are incredibly grateful to Mr. Tews for the time and service he has brought to Wasmer as well as our district.  

With gratitude towards his time spent as a part of GIPS, Tews feels now is a good time for him to pursue other professional opportunities that are closer to his family.

“After much reflection, I have made the difficult decision to leave my role as principal at Wasmer Elementary, a position I have been honored to hold for the past seven years.” Mr. Tews reflected, “It has truly been a rewarding experience to work alongside such dedicated and talented staff, and I am incredibly grateful for the support, collaboration, and friendships I have built here. While I will always cherish my time at Wasmer, I am excited to pursue opportunities closer to my family. ”

As Mr. Tews moves on to new professional opportunities at the end of the school year, GIPS has been working to find the right new leader to continue the good work taking place at Wasmer.

We are pleased to share that Miss Hannah Luber has been named the next Principal for Wasmer Elementary.

Slated to step into the role this summer, Miss Luber is excited about the opportunity to bring her love for championing public education to Wasmer.

“I am incredibly excited and honored to be the upcoming principal for Wasmer Elementary!” Luber shared, “More importantly, I look forward to serving our staff, students, and families to create a positive and safe learning environment that fosters growth, creativity, and success for every child.” 

Miss Luber has been with Grand Island Public Schools for over 10 years serving in meaningful classroom and program leadership roles throughout.  Her primary role has been a classroom teacher at Starr Elementary where she has led 5th Grade and 1st Grade classrooms.  Most recently, she has served as a 2nd Grade educator for five years.  In addition to teaching at Starr, Luber has also served as the Summer School Coordinator for Power Camp the last three years, which is a Title I Elementary School month-long summer learning program that welcomes over 250 students and dozens of staff a year.  She has also served as an MTSS Chair and on the Starr School Improvement Building Leadership Team, District Task Force, and been a part of the “Next Gen” Principal Pipeline through UNK.  Luber carries a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Nebraska (2014) alongside a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership (2023) and a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction (2018) both from Doane University.

Folks who have collaborated with Miss Luber know first-hand her passion for student success brings a contagious positive energy to every classroom enters and staff team she works with.

“We certainly wish Mr. Tews the best as he pursues other opportunities.” Matt Fisher, GIPS Superintendent, said, “It is always gratifying to have people from within the organization move into leadership roles. We are very pleased to have Ms. Luber step into this position. She will do an excellent job.”

While this will certainly be a transition for our Wasmer folks, our goal is to help make this transition as smooth as possible.  We will make sure families, students, and staff will have opportunities to connect with Miss Luber before the start of the next school year.  

Thank you, Mr. Tews, for your committed service to GIPS and congratulations to Miss Luber on her new leadership opportunity!