The 23-24 school year will mark my 6th year as principal. I love this community and the connections I feel to it. The Perkins zone goes from 48 St to 22nd St and University Ave to Hickman Rd. We are a very diverse community represented by students and families from all over the world and consisting of over 14 different languages. Perkins is a very inclusive school, and we will work to value our diversity more than ever this year. We continue to grow and will now have 4 teachers in both Kindergarten and 1st grade.
Michael Derrick
michael.derrick@dmschools.org
Hi Perkins Penguins Families!
I’m Breck Menz, Associate Principal at Perkins Elementary School. I’ll be a new face on campus this ’22-’23 school year. Here is a little bit of information about me:
Although this is my first year in Des Moines, I’ve been in education for fourteen years. Previously, I worked as a 2nd grade teacher, 4th grade teacher, and an Instructional Coach in West Des Moines. I have my BA from the University of Iowa in Elementary Education, MA in Effective Teaching from Drake, and my MS in Educational Leadership: Principalship from UNI!
My husband, Josh, and I live in Adel with our two children – Nic (10) and Ellie (7), as well as our playful pooch, Max (labradoodle). When I’m not busy hauling kids around or cheering for them at their events, I love cheering for the Hawkeyes, yoga, shopping at little boutiques, going to movies, finding fun new places to eat, and bonfires in the backyard.
I am really looking forward to joining DMPS and most importantly, this amazing team of Penguins!
Fun fact: A group of penguins is called a raft! So…let’s float our RAFT into a great school year!