South Middle School

Darren Ellwein, Principal at South Middle School in Harrisburg, SD is the 2022-2023 South Dakota Association of Secondary School Principals (SDASSP) Middle School Principal of the Year.  Darren has been the principal at South Middle School for eleven years and a principal for the past fifteen years.   He has a bachelor’s degree from the Augustana University and a master’s degree from the University of South Dakota.  Mr. Ellwein also has been honored as a Visionary and Progressive Change Agent in 2018, National Digital Principal of the Year in 2017, and been published in the Principal Leadership and Association of Middle Level Education magazines.  School culture, personal relationships with student and staff, and professional development are main focuses of South Middle School under the leadership of Mr. Ellwein.  Darren was honored by the Harrisburg School District at a school wide assembly on Wednesday, February 8.  He will also be honored at the South Dakota Principal’s Conference in June at the Deadwood Lodge and at the National Association of Secondary School Principals Conference in Denver, Colorado in July.