With current Fountain Hills High School principal Kris Alexander moving to the District Office to serve as executive director of student services, new principal Christopher Hartmann is set to take over the role on July 19.

Hartmann was officially introduced to the district at the May 12 Governing Board meeting, and he is excited to begin his tenure as one of the leaders of the Falcon flock.

Growing up in northern New Jersey, Hartmann said he fell in love with Arizona following a visit to the state. This led him to attend University of Arizona, earning a bachelor’s in English literature with a minor in history. His postdoc was in secondary education, followed by a master’s from Northern Arizona University in educational leadership.

Hartmann taught middle school for a few years before moving on to high school. He moved on to become a high school administrator for an additional 12 years at Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale.

“I then took a detour into the corporate world for the past four years and missed education pretty much every day,” Hartmann said. “As I think we all did these past 18 months, I had a lot of time to reflect and realized I missed education and wanted to get back in.”

Hartmann said his draw to education was “cliché,” but accurate.

“It’s a way to feel like you’re making a small difference in the world,” he said. “I love teaching and being around kids. I’m not the kind of guy who can sit in an office all day. I need to be out there, interacting and influencing.”

Looking to return to education, Hartmann said he saw the posting for a position at FHHS and wasted no time applying for the gig. He actually worked with Alexander before in Scottsdale, and said the idea of working with him again was a draw. Hartmann said he also lived in Fountain Hills about 15 years ago and grew to love the community.

“It all seemed like a great fit,” he continued. “I’m excited. I love the campus and met a lot of the staff already. Being back on a campus, getting my first tour and being around teachers and staff again, was invigorating.”

Looking ahead to next school year, Hartmann said he expects there to be challenges coming out of the wild ride COVID-19 has put everyone through, but he foresees a trend back toward normalcy.

“Whatever comes our way, I feel like the team that is in place did a fantastic job this year under such difficult conditions, so I am hopeful that will continue and we’ll be able to face any challenges as they come,” he said. “My philosophy is that we are all lifelong learners, so I look forward to focusing on academic rigor and prioritizing student safety. I’m going to do a lot of observing, listening and learning myself, be present and be out and about to really try and continue what is already in place, which is a really close-knit community.”

With his official start date a little under two months away, Hartmann said he is excited to get to work and see everyone back at FHHS in the fall.

“I wish everyone a safe and relaxing summer,” he said. “You all deserve it. Congratulations on completing what must have been a very challenging year, and I can’t wait to see you all in late July and early August.”