|
POLK Before he takes a job, Stan Hendricks does his homework.
As a finalist for the superintendent position at High Plains Community Schools, Hendricks didn't just tour the district and talk with people there. He asked friends working in nearby districts for their opinions of High Plains.
What he found was highly favorable. A great district, they said, with good students and a supportive community.
"I think it's fantastic," Hendricks said of the district. "I wouldn't be going out there if I didn't think that."
Hendricks sports a variety of titles at his current position, as the principal for seventh through 12th grades as well as the athletics director and assessment coordinator at Syracuse public schools in southeast Nebraska.
But on July 1, he'll take over as superintendent at High Plains, which encompasses Polk, Hordville and Clarks.
He'll succeed Dennis Gray, who has been a superintendent in the district since 1987 and is retiring this year.
The board approved Hendricks' contract Jan. 23 after selecting him out of 13 candidates and three finalists.
Board members described Hendricks as an outgoing, energetic leader whose goals matched up well with theirs.
"Stan was very positive and very confident about his next step," said board member Brian Samuelson of rural Polk.
Chief among the district's aims is improving its technology. The board hired its first technology coordinator this week, and board members said they'd like technology use to become something that makes the district appealing to potential teachers and students.
"We wanted someone to bring technology into the curriculum ... bring our school up to the leading edge," said board member Gregg Fowler of Hordville.
Hendricks received his bachelor's degree at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and his master's at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He is on track to earn his educational specialist degree from UNO this spring.
He has coached and taught high school English throughout Nebraska, with stops at Centura, Bradshaw, Palmyra and Arlington.
He has also been an administrator at Newcastle, Louisville and the Nebraska College of Business in Omaha.
Hendricks said he's familiar with the problems small schools face in declining enrollment and shrinking state aid.
But he said the education students get at those schools is on par with anywhere in the state.
"I like small towns. I like small schools," he said. "That's where I want to be."
Want to comment on this article?
Register on our forums and post your thoughts.
It's free and easy to do!
independentforums.com
|
