Eric Slocum hired as Alden-Hebron Elementary School’s new principal

Alden-Hebron School District 19 on Sunday announced Eric Slocum will be Alden-Hebron Elementary School’s new principal starting in the fall.

Slocum has worked in special education and general education over the past 13 years at Clinton Middle School in Clinton, Iowa, where he taught sixth-grade social studies and eighth-grade special education science and math, Alden-Hebron said in a news release.

The district said 29 candidates applied for the position and made it through the interview process, which included two interviews as well as a principal entry plan presentation to a committee of District 19 staff, school board members and parents who participated in the selection.

“I am excited that Mr. Eric Slocum will be the new leader for Alden-Hebron Elementary School. On behalf of the committee and myself, we confidently believe that Eric’s talent, student­ centered approach, and experience will guide students, staff, and community to a fun, safe, and motivating learning environment while having a positive impact on district 19 as a whole,” Tiffany Elswick, the current Alden-Hebron Elementary principal who is taking over as the district’s superintendent this year, said in the release.

Elswick is replacing the interim Superintendent Debbie Ehlenburg, who had been working in the role less than full time since 2019 after serving as superintendent for 12 years, and as a District 19 employee for more than three decades.