Mandy Dibble is facing a bit of a conundrum.
Dibble, the new principal at Tracy Area High School, comes to Tracy direct from the Westbrook-Walnut Grove School District. It begs the question: Is she a Panther, or a Charger?
“It depends on if one of my kids is playing,” Dibble said. “I would say I’m a Panther, but I’ve got three kids coming up that are in sports. That’s my kids’ biggest concern — what side are you going to sit on?”
That notwithstanding, Dibble feels very comfortable in her choice to take her career in education to the next level in Tracy.
“This is where I want to be; I want to be involved in the community, I want to meet as many people as I can,” she said. “Having good relationships is important to me.”
Dibble has plenty of local ties as well. Her grandparents, Sam and Donna Mickelson, lived in both Tracy and Walnut Grove, and Dibble’s mother, a native of Walnut Grove, went to elementary school in Tracy.
Tracy Area High School. Photo / Per Peterson MANDY DIBBLE is the new principal at
“She told me that when the tornado hit, she was in kindergarten here,” Dibble said. “They moved to Walnut shortly after that, and she graduated from Walnut Grove. But she did start here.”
Eventually Dibble’s family moved to northeast Iowa where she schooled from second grade through graduation at Fredericksburg High School. She went to college at Northwestern College in Orange City, IA, and earned a teaching degree in mathematics. From there, she came back to Minnesota to teach math and science in Milroy for one year and then at WWG High School for 19 years.
Dibble and her husband, Brandon, have three children: Claire (14), Tucker (10) and Ty (7). They will continue living in Westbrook.
“Westbrook-Walnut Grove has been very good to us, so my kids are going to stay there for now,” she said.
While leaving the WWG School District was not an easy decision, Dibble said after 20 years of teaching, she feels ready for a new challenge.
“I’m ready for a change, I’m ready for a new challenge,” she said. “So I’m really exited about this. It’s hard to leave co-workers you’ve had for 20 years, but everybody’s excited for me and that makes it easier.”
Dibble got her principal’s license in the spring of 2024 after earning her degree from Southwest Minnesota State University, where one of her professors was Tracy Area Public Schools Supt. Chad Anderson. This past year, she served as part-time principal in the Ivanhoe School District while teaching at WWG.
“That wrapped up this spring, and I was on the fence … I liked where I’m at, I knew we wouldn’t move … it was a tough decision — stay teaching while my kids are young or take the step I was ready to take,” Dibble said. “I applied nowhere else, and when this position opened in early June, this was it for me. This was the only place I applied.”
Dibble said one of her main goals as principal is to provide support to the school staff while having solid relationships with the students. She said as a former teacher herself, she’s excited to help teachers in any way she can.
“Being a teacher for a long time helps you in a principal role, but it doesn’t totally prepare you,” she said. “My goal is to be that support for staff members and be an instructional coach and help them — I’ve been a teacher for 20 years, I know what teachers get frustrated with.”
Anderson said Dibble is an intelligent, passionate and student-centered leader who is deeply committed to academic excellence and building strong relationships with students, staff and families.
“We are excited to welcome Mandy to the Tracy Area Public Schools team,” he said. “Her leadership will be a positive addition to our school community, and we look forward to the great work she will do for our students and staff.”
