Simington Receives Outstanding Alumnus Award
(Estherville, Iowa) Iowa Lakes Community College Alumni and Friends Association awarded Jeremy Simington the 2023 Jim Hall Outstanding Alumni Award during the 2023 Commencement ceremony on Friday, May 12, in Estherville. Simington joins the ranks of other Iowa Lakes graduates who exemplify outstanding support of community, business, and service clubs while serving as positive role models for this distinguished award, established in 1992.
Deb Weston, Alumni and Friends Association Board member, presented Simington with the award memorializing Jim Hall, a 1968 Iowa Lakes graduate, former Iowa Lakes assistant football coach, and strong supporter of the College.
Simington graduated with an Associate of Arts degree from Iowa Lakes Community College in 2005 before transferring to earn a Bachelor of Arts in physical education in 2009 and a Master of Education Degree in 2013 from the University of Northern Iowa. He is married to Angela (Watters) Simington, a 2005 Iowa Lakes graduate with an Associate of Arts Degree. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, with a Human Resources emphasis, from the University of Northern Iowa in 2007. They have three children, Brileigh, 11; Baylor, 7; and Brecklin, 5.
Simington is a sterling ambassador and community leader who exhibits fierce dedication and commitment to public service and community engagement. His contributions ensured that Graettinger maintained its “small town, big heart” distinction in the minds of families in and around the city.
As a member of various community councils and organizations, including the Graettinger Development Council, Simington demonstrated exceptional leadership and unwavering commitment to improving the community. Actively engaging through the development council, he championed the cause of improved access to affordable housing and collaborated with community and school district leadership on a $9.7 million renovation bond, engaging with both the Graettinger and Terril communities to support the project from start to finish. The resulting renovations drastically improved the educational experiences in those communities.
Simington volunteered his time and talents to serve as an active Hill Crest Golf and Country Club board member. Simington also understood that telling the community’s story was essential to growth and progress and was instrumental in modernizing the city’s website and social media platforms.
As a school principal, his instrumental role in organizing and leading the “No Boundaries” program, a STEM initiative that connected high school students to active learning outside the classroom, benefited the students and the community. Simington captained the program’s implementation and collaborated with school surrounding districts to ensure its success.
A believer in teacher leadership development, he helped Graettinger-Terril School District become a pilot for studying the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching Rubric in Iowa, implemented as the Iowa Instructional Framework, and still used statewide today.
Through active leadership and focused stewardship, Simington exemplifies the spirit of the Jim Hall Award. The Iowa Lakes Alumni and Friends Association congratulates Simington as he joins the ranks of outstanding alums.
To view a list of all recipients, visit iowalakes.edu/alumni-friends or view the perpetual Jim Hall Outstanding Alumni Award plaque in the gymnasium lobby of the Estherville Campus.
PHOTO CAPTION: Deb Weston, member of the Iowa Lakes Community College Alumni and Friends Association, presents Jeremy Simington with the 2023 Jim Hall Outstanding Alumni Award. From Left to right: Deb Weston, Alumni and Friends Association Board Member, Jeremy Simington, 2023 Jim Hall Recipient, Bettje Willmore, Alumni and Friends Association Board Member, and Jim Willmore, Alumni and Friends Association Board Member.
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