At the April 14, 2015 Lebanon R-3 Board of Education meeting, Janci Mills of Goodland, Kansas was named an Assistant Principal of Lebanon Middle School.  Mills was selected from a pool of candidates after an extensive interview process to fill the Hillcrest School principal position and future Lebanon Middle School assistant principal position currently held by Ed Elsea, who recently accepted the job of principal at Lee Expressive Arts Elementary School in Columbia.

Mrs. Mills brings vast education experience to her new position and for the past four years she has been the superintendent of the Brewster, Kansas USD 314 School District. Prior to this, she has 14 years of experience as a middle school and elementary principal, 5 years as a classroom teacher in the 4^th, 5^th, and 7^th grades, 3 years as a district curriculum council member, and 5 years as an adjunct online instructor in Leadership Studies for Ft. Hays State University. Mills holds a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, a Master of Science in Educational Administration, and a District Leadership - Superintendent Specialist all from Ft. Hays State University.

"We are pleased and excited to add Mrs. Janci Mills to our Lebanon Middle School Team," said Lebanon Junior High and future Lebanon Middle School Principal Tom Merriott. "Mrs. Mills brings a positive and enthusiastic personality, as well as a student oriented philosophy that will be a great asset as we move forward. She also brings a great deal of experience as an educator and administrator to our team, which will allow us to plug her in at the Hillcrest campus for next year and not miss a beat. We believe she has the experience and personality to help us to continue the process of transitioning our two current campuses into what we see as a unique and exciting opportunity to begin our new Lebanon Middle School in 2016."

The current plan is for Mrs. Mills to primarily cover the Hillcrest campus for the coming school year, but to also have her spend time at the LJHS campus to allow her to get to know the staff there. During those times, Mr. Merriott and Mr. Roger Moore, Assistant Principal at LJHS, will be able to rotate to the Hillcrest campus to allow them to better know the staff there. Mr. Merriott added, "Our goal is to be able to move into our new building in the fall of 2016 with a better understanding of what we will need to do to make the transition as smooth as possible, and we believe we have taken a great step in that direction with the hiring of Mrs. Mills."

Mrs. Mills and her husband, Ed, who is also an educator, will be moving to Lebanon at the end of this school year and have already purchased a home here. They have three adult children, Zach, Joe and Kelly, and the latter two live in the Lebanon area. Mills comes from a heritage of education, with both of her parents having been career educators. Outside of school she enjoys playing piano, singing, and spending time with her children and grandchildren.

"I am excited to be moving to Lebanon and to join such a progressive school district," said Mills. "The school district of Lebanon has a great reputation, with a commitment to quality instruction and individual success for students. I look forward to continuing to support and honor all that has been done thus far in the district, and want to focus upon all the great aspects of learning that lie ahead in any way that I can. I also look forward to working alongside the excellent faculty, staff, administration, parents and students in the district. I am thrilled to be a part of the future of the Lebanon school system!"