Dr. Fairouz Bishara-Rantisi to Lead Hoyt Middle School

Dr. Fairouz Bishara-Rantisi will lead Hoyt Middle School beginning July 1, 2022.

Des Moines Public Schools is pleased to announce that Dr. Fairouz Bishara-Rantisi will become the next principal at Hoyt Middle School.  Dr. Bishara-Rantisi takes over for Deborah Markert who is retiring after an exceptional career at DMPS.

Dr. Bishara-Rantisi started her career in education as an art teacher at Maria Assumpta High School in Noia, Spain. She moved to Omaha, NE, where she served as a high school Spanish teacher, and art instructor at the Joslyn Art Museum. She worked as a curriculum specialist for Omaha Public Schools (NE)in the areas of visual and performing arts, international languages, Title I. She was an educational consultant for the Nebraska Department of Education and the Ministry of Education in Spain. Dr. Bishara-Rantisi then served as an associate principal for Lincoln Public Schools (NE), a middle school principal for Columbia Public Schools (MO), and a high school principal for the Waukee Community School District.

“One of the most important aspects of my work in the upcoming months will be building strong relationships with students, teachers, and families,” said Dr. Bishara-Rantisi. “I can’t wait to learn about every single one of our kids, what they are like, what they enjoy, and what they need from me as their principal. I’m so grateful to DMPS for giving me the chance to serve the Hoyt community.”

Dr. Bishara-Rantisi is multilingual and earned her doctorate degree in Educational Leadership from University of Nebraska at Omaha. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Art History and Fine Arts from University of Salamanca, Spain. She completed a CAP – Course of Pedagogic Aptitude at University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain.  She also has an Educational Administration & Supervision certification from University of Nebraska at Omaha.

“Dr. Bishara-Rantisi comes to DMPS with a wealth of diverse, successful administrative experience and will no doubt elevate the standard of leadership, teaching, and learning at Hoyt and across the entire middle school network,” said associate superintendent Matthew Smith.  “She is a fierce, dynamic leader and we are overjoyed to welcome Dr. Bashara-Rantisi to our DMPS family.”

She begins work at Hoyt Middle School on July 1, 2022, pending the approval of the DMPS school board.