New elementary school principal named

Dripping Springs ISD has named the new principal for the yet-to-be-named Elementary #6, and it will be a familiar name to many.

Steve Novickas, current Rooster Springs Elementary principal, has been named principal for the new elementary school, which will open for the 2025-26 school year.

An enthusiastic and student-centered leader, Novickas is in his sixth year as the principal of Rooster Springs Elementary. Prior to his current stint, he assisted with the opening of DSISD’s second middle school, Sycamore Springs Middle School, where he served as an assistant principal for two years.

Before arriving in Dripping Springs, Novickas spent 10 years in the Cherry Creek School District in the Denver area where he worked as the assistant principal for two elementary schools, one of which he helped to open. Before moving into campus leadership roles, he served as a teacher for seven years for Pine Ridge and Buffalo Trail Elementary.

“We are thrilled to have Novickas serve as the first principal for DSISD’s sixth elementary school,” said Superintendent Holly Morris-Kuentz. “His eight years of leadership experience in Dripping Springs ISD as well as his multiple experiences with opening a school made him a frontrunner for this position and we are excited to see him build this campus from the ground up.”

Novickas received his bachelor’s degree in Education with a concentration in Physical Education from Illinois State University in 2006. He then earned a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Regis University in 2013.

Elementary #6 is currently under construction off Mira Vista Drive in the Headwaters neighborhood. The campus will serve PK-5 students and have a capacity for 850 students. New elementary and middle school attendance zones will be approved at the Dec. 16 board meeting and the campus name will be approved at the Jan. 27, 2025 meeting. DSISD will immediately begin the process of identifying the next school leader for Rooster Springs Elementary.