Five years ago Brian Thorstad was a band director here at New Prague High School. Today he is a Vice Principal alongside Mr. Wetschka.  Talk about change!

Thorstad led the instrumental music program at NPHS from 2009-2018. After working toward his administrative license, he left NPHS in the spring of 2018 to take on the role of Leadership Coordinator for Gibbon Fairfax Winthrop (GFW) Schools.  After one year with GFW, he was hired as the Principal of LeSueur-Henderson Middle and High Schools where he served for three years.  After the departure of Vice Principal Jill Sabol, Thorstad was interested in returning to New Prague.

In regards to the change, he said, “It’s been great to get to know all of our students, and our school year is off to a great start.”

Mr. Thorstad really enjoys being a Vice Principal. “Being a vice principal isn’t an easy job, but it is exciting because there are so many different things happening in a day. Having great conversations with students, helping students when something goes wrong, and helping teachers with a wide variety of projects is all super fun.”  

Though Mr. Thorstad is enjoying his new life in administration, he said, “I certainly miss having a classroom of students, but I also like being able to help and talk to a variety of people.”

 He loves seeing students grow, and it never ceases to amaze him how far students can go. “When I see the growth of students from their freshman year to their senior year, it amazes me.” 

Mr. Thorstad’s goal for New Prague High School is to make sure that every student has a high-quality education and to set everyone up for success. “We have awesome students and awesome teachers. We should celebrate our successes. We need to share and continue to celebrate our successes. When we see someone showing their success, it makes us want to do and be better and to reach our goals.”