Brett Lobben, Prairie View Elementary’s associate principal, is leaving Eden Prairie Schools after 27 years to become the first principal of Highview Elementary School in Lakeville.
Currently under construction, Highview is set to open in fall 2024 to accommodate increasing student enrollment in Lakeville Area Schools. Lobben’s hire will be formalized on Jan. 23, pending Lakeville school board approval.
Lobben’s last day at Prairie View will be Feb. 23. Quennel Cooper, Prairie View’s principal, said in an email sent to families on Jan. 12 that the district would begin searching for Lobben’s replacement in the coming weeks.
“Prairie View is an incredibly special place,” Lobben said in the same email. “While I am grateful for this exciting opportunity to serve students as a school’s first principal, I will miss Prairie View and will always cherish my time here and what our students have accomplished.”
EP Schools Superintendent Josh Swanson thanked Lobben for his service to the district and wished him well in his new role. “Brett has given 27 years of service to our students, staff and families, including in roles at Prairie View, Forest Hills and Oak Point elementary schools,” he said.
“In addition to the impact he’s had in our district, he has also lived out our core values on the state level by creating continuous learning opportunities for other associate principals who wish to grow in their leadership,” Swanson added. “We are sincerely grateful for his dedication to our mission and wish him the best in this exciting new role.”
Cooper also credited Lobben for making “a significant impact on our students and staff … I am so grateful for his partnership and collaboration — and I know he will continue to be remarkable in Lakeville.”
Doug Van Zyl, the superintendent of Lakeville Area Schools, said in a Jan. 12 press release announcing Lobben’s hire that Lobben “has demonstrated great dedication to education and innovative leadership, which will undoubtedly benefit the students and staff of Highview Elementary.”
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