Jenny Nauman named Cape assistant superintendent
Shields Elementary Principal Jenny Nauman’s professional development philosophy is to learn and grow every day.
After eight years at Shields, she has a new role to learn. Nauman is Cape Henlopen School District’s new assistant superintendent, replacing retiring Cathy Petitgout.
“I love what I do,” she said. “Every morning I come to school feeling like I’m making a difference with my staff and students. It was a hard decision to leave something I love, but now, I can make a bigger difference that impacts the whole district.”
Nauman is happy Shields Assistant Principal Kimberly Corbidge will succeed her as school principal.
“It’s good to know I’m leaving Shields in good hands,” she said. “It will be a seamless transition for staff, students and parents.”
Cape Superintendent Bob Fulton said, “We are extremely excited about Ms. Nauman becoming our next assistant superintendent. She has a proven record of success, and we are looking forward to her joining our district-level team this summer.”
Nauman says her strength lies in building trusting relationships with staff, students and parents. She plans to work with school leaders and teachers to create a consistent curriculum among all grade levels, so students progressing from elementary to middle school, then from middle to high school, will have a shared knowledge base.
The Milford High School grad always wanted to be a teacher.
“I’m a teacher by heart,” she smiled.
Nauman earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education from the University of Delaware, and her master’s degree in leadership from Wilmington University. She is a national board-certified teacher.
Before joining Cape, Nauman taught second and third grade, and was a reading specialist in the Milford School District, where she was Lulu M. Ross Elementary and Milford School District Teacher of the Year for 2008-09. She was hired as Rehoboth Elementary’s assistant principal in 2008.
Under her leadership, Shields was one of three Delaware schools to receive the National Blue Ribbon Award in 2013. Following that honor, she was one of seven principals in the nation and the first in Delaware to receive the Terrel H. Bell Award for Outstanding School Leaders. Nauman was named Delaware’s 2016 National Distinguished Principal of the Year.
Nauman is president of the Delaware Association of School Principals, past president of the Delaware Association of School Administrators, and serves on Delaware’s Child Abuse & Child Safety Awareness Working Group.
An advocate for special education, Nauman supported recently signed legislation that allows graduating seniors meeting individualized education program requirements to receive a diploma of alternate achievement standards, not a “certificate of performance,” increasing their chances of finding meaningful employment.
“That was in the works for three years,” she said. “One of my best days was when that was signed into law.”
She and husband John have two daughters at Beacon Middle, Elle and Anna. Elle has Phelan-McDermid syndrome, a genetic condition that can have a wide range of symptoms. Nauman volunteers with the Phelan-McDermid Foundation, helping to raise awareness and funds by selling Phelan Lucky shirts around St. Patrick’s Day.
Even on weekends, Nauman doesn’t escape administrative duties; she serves as religious education principal at St. Jude the Apostle Catholic Church in Lewes on Sunday mornings.
Nauman says she is excited to work with a solid team at Cape’s district office.
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere but Cape,” she said. “It’s truly the best district, and I am honored to be assistant superintendent.”
