April 2, 2020
Meet Josh St. Louis, Principal of S.G. Reinertsen Elementary School.
His upbeat and energetic presence brings positivity and excitement into every interaction. As a firm believer in having fun, it’s his mission to make school and learning exciting for everyone. His aspiration is to build relationships with his staff, students and families to create a productive and safe environment for everyone to not only learn academically, but socially and emotionally too.
“I am trying to continually do better myself, so I can help our amazing staff and students. The work we are doing over the students’ five years at S.G. Reinertsen will set them up for success for the rest of their student careers,” says St. Louis. He knows there is always something that he and his team can be doing better to help improve a kid's life.
St. Louis started his career in Moorhead as a 2nd grade teacher at Robert Asp Elementary in 2006. He then taught 5th grade for eight years at Robert Asp before becoming Assistant Principal of S.G. Reinersten in 2015 and arrived at his current role in 2017.
Originally pursuing an engineering degree at the University of Minnesota, St. Louis switched his major after he found his passion for education and helping students while working as a paraprofessional in his 20’s. He grew up the child of two teachers in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis.
2020 Award Winner
The Minnesota Elementary School Principals’ Association (MESPA) recognized Josh with the 2020 MESPA Division Leadership Achievement Award for MESPA’s Western Division.
This award is given out yearly to principals whose exemplary leadership and sustained efforts have made noteworthy contributions to the operation of effective school learning programs.
St. Louis is humbled and honored to be recognized by his peers for this award. “It showcases the outstanding work that our school and district does, it goes back to the effort our staff, students and families put in,” he says.
Hobbies Off the Clock
Outside of work, St. Louis enjoys running, reading and spending time at the lake with his wife and three kids. He has run several marathons and half-marathons and even qualified for the Boston Marathon. A non-fiction fan, he has read several interesting books on George Washington and is currently fascinated reading a book on the ancient history of Rome.