Julia Backaus
Title: NHS Associate Principal
Hello! My name is Julia Backaus and it is an honor to serve as the High School Associate Principal for the School District of Nekoosa. I am a Clark County native and graduated from Neillsville High School in 1998. While in high school, I participated in serval student organizations, managed (not played :) for several athletic teams and worked at IGA. Upon graduation, I left Neillsville to pursue my post-secondary education at UW-Madison; go Badgers!
The following summer, I headed west to Gunnison, CO where I worked on a dude ranch and fell in love with the mountains. I then decided to continue my education at Colorado State University where I received my B.S. in Agriculture Education in May of 2003. I accepted a teaching position at Franklin Middle School in Greeley, CO as their Family and Consumer Education teacher. While teaching, I pursued my graduate studies in the evenings and over the summers. I was fortunate to obtain a counseling position my final year in the program at Greeley Central High School as the Freshman Counselor. I graduated from the University of Northern Colorado in May of 2008 with a M.A. in School Counseling.
Upon graduation, I decided to relocate back to WI to be closer to family and friends. I moved back to Neillsville in May of 2008 and started my 7-12 counseling career in Pittsville, WI where I served as their 7-12 School counselor from August, 2008 - June, 2013. During this time, I was blessed to marry my husband Eric in 2009 and become a step-mom to his two sons, Sterling and Bryce. Eric and I have been additionally blessed with four children together; Abigail, Jesse, Jarus and Maria. My career in Neillsville as the 7-12 School Counselor started in the 14-15 school year, paused during the 15-16 and 16-17 years so I could be at home with our young children and resumed again in the 17-18 school year through the 25-26 school year.
I am excited to join the Nekoosa High School family and look forward to getting to know the students, families and community members. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to serve your children and be a part of their lives.