The Leander ISD Board of Trustees approved the hiring of Mark Koller as the new principal of Danielson Middle School on Thursday at the Nov. 7 Board meeting.
“I am so proud to have Mark opening Danielson Middle School,” said Leander ISD Superintendent Bruce Gearing, Ed.D. “He is a proven leader in our district. He is a lifelong, effective, approachable communicator, and he has developed a superb track record of successful collaborations among staff, with parents and with the community. I am confident he will create a culture of excellence, and enhance the middle school student experience.”
Koller comes to Danielson Middle School from Leander Middle School, where he has served as principal since 2016. Prior to LMS, Koller served as the Pleasant Hill Elementary School principal from 2012–2016 and as an assistant principal at Plain Elementary School from 2008–2012. He began his career in 2002 as a special education teacher in San Marcos CISD. Koller started with Leander ISD in 2006, serving as a 4th-grade teacher at Plain Elementary and later as an instructional technology facilitator for the district.
Danielson Middle School will open for the 2020–21 school year and is located across from Glenn High School in the northern part of the district. The LISD Board named the school after former Cedar Park High School dance teacher Stacy Danielson, who died in 2018 after battling colon cancer.
“Stacy Danielson has been described to have embodied selflessness, kindness and compassion,” Koller said. “I am humbled and honored to have been selected to serve as the first principal of Stacy Danielson Middle School. I can only hope to help create an environment grounded by selflessness, kindness and that same compassion for the future of our students. I cannot wait to work alongside the SDMS community to create an environment where students can thrive, think, collaborate and learn to advocate for their education beyond the traditions of a four-wall classroom.”
Koller earned a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies at Texas State University and a master’s degree in educational administration from Lamar University.
