Q: Why did you want to become the superintendent?
A: I’ve always been passionate about improving the educational system. I was not a terrific student in high school. I was a pretty good student in elementary school and middle school, but then I got bored and disengaged in high school. I feel like I could have been on a better path if I could’ve stayed engaged, so I’ve always been passionate about improving things and making things better for every kid.
Q: Do you plan to spend time interacting with North students and staff?
A: Yeah, absolutely. I rode a bus last week. That was fun. We transferred here, but it was mostly Parkside, Northside and NewTech kids. But I’m going to ride another bus next week, so it might be a North bus and you never know, you might just be sitting next to me on the bus.
Q: Are you planning any major changes for the district?
A: I’m reading a book right now called Subtract and it’s about the power of taking things away. That’s where my focus is right now, making sure that we, as a district, are focusing on the right things and not adding too much extra stuff.
Q: What would you like students to know about you?
A: I love to be in the school and see kids and meet kids and talk to kids. I am passionate about keeping kids in high school and engaged in meaningful opportunities to learn. So, if they see me walking around the building, I would love to hear from them and what they think we can do to make high school the best experience possible for every kid.
Q: What inspired you to implement the Legacy Pass program?
A: The impetus might have been all the people that were donating money for kids to be able to go for free. Both North and East got some anonymous donors to give so that students could attend all of our athletic events for free. We probably saw that and said it was time to include our senior citizens in there.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to say?
A: If you’re a student or staff member at Columbus North High School and you see me walking through the hallways or you see me out at a choir concert or football game, please walk up to me. Introduce yourself and share how things are going for you.
Q: Which of your plans do you think will have the greatest impact students?
A: I am going to say continuing to look at the Cohort model and team model. When we met this summer with all the administrators, I encouraged them to keep innovating. We just put this model together last year and I told them not to get in a rut or get used to the way we did things last year, continue to innovate and think about how you can use your team to best serve the kids in your group and make sure as many of them graduate as possible.
