Exciting Leadership News for Islander Middle School

Hello IMS Staff, Families and Community,

Emily and I are so excited to officially share some leadership news for next year at Islander Middle School.

We have just completed a thoughtful and competitive hiring process for our Associate Principal position, meeting with strong candidates from across the region. Throughout every stage of the process, Emily Mills stood out as an exceptional fit for IMS through her instructional leadership, strong relationships with students and staff, deep understanding of the heart and history of our school, and her inspiring vision for its future. Please join us in congratulating Emily on her appointment as Associate Principal of Islander Middle School. We are excited for the leadership, heart, and vision she will continue to bring to our IMS and MISD community.

This year, Emily joined the administrative team as an administrative intern and later stepped into the role of Interim Associate Principal, where she has worked alongside Associate Principal Katie Gallagher and Principal Mary Jo Budzius to support students, partner with staff, strengthen school systems, and help lead the daily work of a vibrant middle school community.

At the center of Emily’s leadership is a belief that middle school is one of the most important bridges in a student’s educational journey. It is a time when students are learning how to become more independent, self-aware, organized, literate, socially responsible, and ready for greater academic complexity. Her vision is for IMS to be known for the quality of the student experience: rigorous learning, meaningful access, strong relationships, and students who understand themselves as learners.

Over the past year, Emily and I have worked side by side every day supporting students, partnering with staff, solving problems, and dreaming big about the future of IMS. Through that work, we have built a strong partnership and begun creating exciting plans for what comes next.

Watch Video Message from Katie Gallagher and Emily Mills

In the years ahead, we will help continue the work already underway at IMS while bringing greater coherence, clarity, and sustainability to that work. Islander Middle School has made important progress in standards-based grading, student support systems, social-emotional learning, Gator Time, executive functioning, literacy, inclusion, and student engagement. Our leadership will help connect those efforts around a shared goal: making sure every student experiences a school environment where they can achieve more, belong more deeply, access learning more meaningfully, and leave IMS ready to understand and direct their own growth.

We also recognize that we are building on the work of incredible leaders. Mary Jo Budzius and Aaron Miller have left a lasting impact on IMS, and we are incredibly grateful for the foundation they helped build. While those are big shoes to fill, we feel fortunate to have learned from their leadership and are excited to build upon that strong foundation.

Together, we are committed to continuing to make IMS a place where every student feels known, challenged, supported, and inspired. We believe deeply in this community, and we are energized to continue growing alongside our students, staff, and families in an ever-changing world.

We cannot wait to continue this journey together and are so excited for you to hear directly from both of us in our video message.

With excitement and gratitude,

Katie Gallagher & Emily Mills