Can you summarize your journey to being superintendent?

I’m actually going to start with college. I was studying Spanish and secondary education, preparing to be a secondary teacher while in college. I got to student teaching, which was my fourth year in college, got to student teaching and decided-I did not want to be a teacher of Spanish. I did not have a good experience student teaching. So there I was, end of the four years of college and thinking after all that I had prepared for, now I don’t want to do it. When I graduated I actually went into retailing, and was an assistant manage, and then a manager of a small store. And when you work in retail, of course, you work on the weekends, so I was off during the week and I decided I would substitute on my day off during the week. I substituted and realized I really do love teaching. But, thought that maybe I’d love teaching at the lower grade levels.

To make a long story short, I went back to school during the evenings and got my elementary teaching certification and started teacher third grade at Maple Dale Elementary. After teaching third grade for maybe seven years, I became assistant principal of Blue Ash Elementary, then Principal of Blue Ash Elementary, then assistant superintendent of academic affairs, and then nine years ago became superintendent of the district. I have spent in total, 32 years in Sycamore total, and four additional years as a fourth grade teacher in Worthington.

Do you have any plans after retiring? Will you stay involved in the district?

I really would like to stay involved in the district as a volunteer. I love this district. There are so many great things happening that I still want to be part of. So If there’s any way I can help anywhere in the district I would love to do that. I also know I need to get out of the way for the new superintendent so he can make a name for himself and do his job. I don’t want to interfere with that, but I do want to stay connected.

What do you feel was your biggest accomplishment during your nine years as superintendent?

Well you know that’s sort of hard to answer because I really feel that the accomplishments are not just my accomplishments. Great things have happened because of the teamwork that we have. But, I would say that our last greatest accomplishment was hiring our new high school principal Mr. Mader. I think that he has come in and made significant impact on our student body, the course offerings, the staff, so I feel very good about that.

What was your favorite part of the job? The toughest?

My most favorite part of the job is going and visiting in the schools and watching students learn.  I love when students come up to me and share some of their latest accomplishments or just to say hi. I love that relationship. So that’s the most rewarding part of the job for me.

My toughest is that I’m always in meetings. Most often I spend a lot of time in meeting during the day and therefore have to do my work at night. It’s like doing homework; I never got away from doing homework. So that is something I’m really looking forward too, because there are often times where I’m staying up until 2 or 3 in the morning to get my work done that needs to get done.

Do you have any hopes for the district after your retirement?

Yes, it’s got to keep improving. I think that one of the things about me, is that although I really like when we accomplish something or reach some goal, I’m never quite satisfied in terms of sitting still. There’s always something to reach for-something better. So I hope that the district and Mr. Forsthoefel carry that same drive that there’s always something better, something more, that we can do for our students, staff, and parents of the Sycamore school District.

When I first became superintendent, I remember announcing that I wanted this district to be a destination place. In other words, a school of choice- a number on school of choice- one that everybody wanted to come to, but you could only come if you were a resident. I think we have done a great job of getting Sycamore to a place where it is a well-recognized school, well-thought of school. We are producing great students and that’s not just because of the teachers, it’s everything from the students themselves to the parents. That’s what I strive for- always being number one.

Is there anything that you’re going to miss?

The students. I’m going to have a hard time. It’s going to be a major withdrawal. And that’s another reason why I’m hoping that there’s some kind of way I can stay connected because I’m going to miss the students. I’m going to miss my team at the central office. We work well together. I‘ll miss the staff. I’m going to miss most things about Sycamore.

What I won’t miss? The homework. I won’t miss staying up late at night and getting up early in the morning to determine whether it’s going to be a snow day. [laughs]

Do you have a message for the students or the district in general?

Always strive for more. Reach for the stars. You’ve done a great job you have a good foundation. Make something of it. I think we are in a good place, and I am looking forward to hearing continued success from Sycamore.