With the exception of four years spent serving his country in the military, Daniel Minkle has spent his entire 28-year professional career in Wareham Public Schools.

Now, selected as the next principal of Wareham Middle School, he steps into a new role in familiar surroundings.

Minkle takes the place of interim principal and Administrator of Student Services Dr. Sue Anne Marks, who took over when Ellen Bankston, who was hired in May of 2013, took a leave of absence in October.

Originally, he was hired to teach seventh-grade English at what was then called the Wareham Intermediate School, and at first, he wasn't sure what to expect.

“I just discovered that it was an age group that I loved working with.”

After teaching seventh grade and eighth grade English for a number of years, Minkle was there when the middle school shifted to a “house system” about eight years ago. The large student body was divided into houses, creating small school units within the large school.

Promoted to be one of the housemasters within that system, Minkle once again was not sure what to expect.

“I found that I could still be around the kids and could still contribute, but in different ways,” he said.

Now, Minkle will again move into a new role, and says he will use his past experience to help him adjust into yet another position at Wareham Middle School.

“Through all of these experiences, I basically learned from other people,” he said. “I learned some things that I will probably use in this job, and learned some things to avoid.”

Minkle said he sees one of his biggest challenges to be a change in focusing more on the big picture that is Wareham Middle School.

“I think seeing the school in a more global way and seeing it full-on as a total organization as opposed to focusing on a part of the building and some of the kids" will be the biggest difference, he said.

He added: “I’m excited about the direction that the School Department is taking. We have a great nucleus for a staff and people that I have many years of experience with and look forward to working with in a somewhat different way.”

Though he wasn’t originally from here (he was born and raised in Haverhill), he said become entrenched in the town and its people.

“I’m now having the pleasure of meeting and working with the children of the children,” he said, saying that his main goal lies in educating those children in the safest way possible. “An overarching goal is just to give the kids of Wareham the best education possible in the safest environment possible. I know that sounds kind of trite, but that’s the mission.”