By Conrad Dudderar
Staff Writer
Yukon Public Schools’ Board of Education welcomed the district’s newest administrator at its recent monthly meeting.
Adam Jewell, YPS executive director of secondary education, took his seat alongside other district administrators for the June 6 board meeting inside the YPS Administration Office, 600 Maple.
Jewell most recently served as principal at Capitol Hill High School in Oklahoma City. Before that, he taught and coached in the Yukon school district.
“He’s ‘seen the light’ and he’s come back,” YPS Superintendent Dr. Jason Simeroth told board members. “He’s going to do good things and we’re very excited to have Adam on board.”
Jewell succeeds Diana Lebsack, who recently was promoted to assistant superintendent for human resources. A former middle school principal, Lebsack had been Yukon’s executive director of secondary education since July 2019.
Lebsack’s new assistant superintendent position was previously held for 10 years by Jason Brunk, who left YPS to become human resources director at Francis Tuttle Technology Center.
As for Jewell, he spent 8-1/2 years at Yukon High School as a U.S. History teacher from August 2005 through December 2013.
Jewell served nearly nine years as an administrator with Oklahoma City Public Schools before “returning home” to Yukon.
He was named the South OKC Chamber of Commerce’s “Principal of the Year” in 2018.
Jewell also was an assistant principal at Capitol Hill and Edmond North High School after leaving Yukon.
In April, the YPS Board of Education approved Jewell’s hiring as executive director of secondary education.
‘GREAT’ DISTRICT
Jewell said he was excited about “helping to grow our great leaders in the secondary schools” and looked forward to learning from them.
“Yukon Public Schools is home to great students, great teachers and great administrators,” he added.
Jewell assumed his new YPS central administration office position June 1.
Jewell has a Master of Education Administration from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford and a Bachelor of Science in Education from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater.
He began his education career as a teacher/coach at Putnam City North High School before coming to Yukon the first time.
His brother David is principal at Piedmont High School.
Other members of the YPS district leadership team are Amy Beams, executive director of special services; Desarae Witmer, assistant superintendent of curriculum, instruction and assessment; Jason McDaniel, chief information and technology officer; Jim Fenrick, chief financial officer; Lance Haggard, executive director of elementary education; and Mark Lebsack, chief operations officer.
