Inside Litchfield Elementary School District: Meet Principal Luke Jankee

After nearly two decades leading schools across the Litchfield Elementary School District, Luke Jankee is taking on a new challenge: building a school community from the ground up.

Jankee is leading the opening of Troy Gilbert Elementary School, a new K-8 campus where students are known as the Aviators and the school community is encouraged to SOAR.

With 24 years in education, including 18 as a district principal, Jankee brings experience from Western Sky, Verrado Elementary and L. Thomas Heck Elementary. Originally from Wisconsin, he began his Arizona career teaching high school math before moving into administration.

Now, he's focused on establishing traditions, building relationships and creating a campus where students feel supported, families feel welcome and educators share a commitment to academic excellence.

"We are building a space that our community can rally around," Jankee said. "Expectations are high and so is the love and caring that we give to our students, staff and families."

Tell us about your path into education. What led you to become a principal? I moved here from Wisconsin 24 years ago because I was done being cold. I started as a high school math teacher, then became an assistant principal at Parker High School. Eighteen years ago I came to this district to become the principal at Western Sky (3 years). I then spent 12 years at Verrado Elementary, 2 years on the L. Thomas Heck campus and now this year we opened up the Troy Gilbert campus.

What is your vision for Troy Gilbert Elementary? I want you to come be part of building something that will be incredible. We want to be the premier school in Arizona, and the only way for that to happen is if everyone is pulling in the same direction.

What inspired you to become an educator? My uncle was a science teacher and I loved that so I pursued middle school science. Path to principal was consistently seeing ways to improve and wanting to be part of that process. I started as a high school math teacher after moving to Arizona from Wisconsin. I have been an administrator from preschool all the way through high schools and I have been blessed to work as a principal at Western Sky, Verrado Elementary, L. Thomas Heck and now Troy Gilbert Elementary all in our district. This is my 18th year as a principal in the Litchfield district. 

What has been most rewarding about opening Troy Gilbert Elementary?  I believe we are building a space that our community can rally around. We are building a culture that is special. Expectations are high and so is the love and caring that we give to our students, staff and families.

What guides your decisions as principal? The guiding thought is always, “Is this best for kids?” When children are at the center of decision-making, it gives us a clearer focus.

What does a successful school culture look like? Students and staff are friendly and greet each other. We all hold ourselves and each other to high expectations. When mistakes are made, we own them, learn from them, and don't repeat them. Learning is always the goal for every person on campus.

What should families know about Troy Gilbert Elementary? We want to become the premier school in Arizona. That requires high-quality educators, motivated students and supportive parents all pulling in the same direction.

If you had 60 seconds to introduce your school to a family considering enrollment, what would you tell them? Come be part of building something that will be incredible. We want to be the premier school in Arizona and the only way for that to happen is if everyone is pulling in the same direction. We need high quality educators, motivated students and supportive parents. If that sounds like something you would like to be a part of, then please come join our family.

What do today’s students need most from their schools? Today's students need schools that are a safe and caring environment that also hold them to high standards. They also need educators and parents to be productive partners with each other to maximize the growth of our students.

How do you measure success beyond test scores? Success is a school that students and staff want to come to every day. Parents want to be involved and contribute to the success of all students. Success is a school family being willing to come together for something bigger than each individual.

What qualities do you look for when hiring educators? I look for people that have a genuine love for the students that they teach and the people that they work with. I look for positive attitudes and people who are always willing to continue to improve and grow.

How can families be effective partners in their children’s education? Be an advocate for your child while also supporting the school and the educators. Schools cannot do it alone and the stronger the positive partnership becomes, the better it is for the students.

At the end of the day, what do you hope students remember most about attending your school? I want them to know that they were cared for by the adults on students on campus and there is an army of educators who want nothing but success for them.

Editor’s note:   A grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation made this story possible. The foundation awarded 15 newsrooms to pay for solutions-focused education reporters for two years. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.