Schimpf feeling right at home at SPHS

Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Banner Graphic/Sabrina Westfall
South Putnam High School Principal Mike Schimpf (right) gets a biology lesson from Amanda King's (left) agricultural science class recently. The class dissected a cow stomach and Megan Rogers (center) helped the teacher give the principal a sneak peak of their hands-on learning.

South Putnam High School Principal Mike Schimpf said being hired by the corporation was like coming home.

Schimpf was hired by the South Putnam School Board at the end of June to replace long-time principal Kieth Puckett. At the time of his hire, Schimpf served as the principal at Turkey Run High School.

"This is home for me. This is where I want to be. My wife (Kari) and I both grew up in Putnam County. We have family in Putnam County. It's home to us," he said.

The 1993 Greencastle High School graduate spent 14 years as a teacher in the Greencastle Community School Corporation, along with coaching track and field and serving as the assistant football coach for a brief time.

The opportunity to come back to Putnam County was one that Schimpf is still excited about several months after being hired.

"I'm thrilled to be here and so thankful," Schimpf said just before the completion of the first nine-weeks of the school year.

The transition has been a smooth one, the principal said. The teachers -- both new and seasoned -- have welcomed him with open arms. He is attending sporting events and spends spare moments getting to know the student body.

"We are a big family and we try to take care of each other as much as we can, and we try to make each other better. I would go with the old adage that 'iron sharpens iron,'" Schimpf said.

Schimpf stressed the South Putnam staff continues to amaze him with compassion, especially as a new group of teachers have joined the South Putnam community.

"We've got a bevy of new teachers and those teachers are really clamping on to what South Putnam is about. What's been really neat to see is how the veteran teachers have stepped up and tried to help those new teachers feel as though they are really part of the community and helped guide them. Your first year of teaching is tough," Schimpf said.

He praised the administrative team at South Putnam for the hard work and dedication to students

"I have the best administrative staff, I feel like, of any school I've been at. We have a great batch of counselors. Mr. (Brian) Gardner does fantastic. Ms. (Kristin) Hendrich is great as well. Then this year we have Mr. (Kieth) Pruett who is working with RTI (response to instruction) and counseling as well at the middle school level. Mr. (Matt) Griswold as the dean (of students) at the middle school has been great. Having Mr. (Ted) Gowen's experience as assistant principal has been very valuable," Schimpf said, adding these are just a few staff members he wants to recognize.

Ultimately, Schimpf said the goal of all staff is to make sure the students have a successful educational career and know they are cared about.

"There is a great deal of support across the board. We want that to go to the students as well. We want them to know that support is there for them," Schimpf stressed.

"I wish I could already know everyone's name and be able to call them by name when I see them in the hallway ... We want them to know they are valued and knowing their names is one more step."

Schimpf said while interacting with the students is his favorite part of serving as principal, he also enjoys being able to work with other staff members to continue to better the educational experience.

"Another piece that is satisfying is when you are able to identify something that will really help a student or a group of students at the administrative level. For instance, I've been working with the guidance department on some of our dual credit opportunities and how that can really help some of our current seniors, specifically," he explained.

Schimpf said he has no immediate plans to make changes because he followed a well-respected administration with a good structure already in place.

"There are a lot of good things that have been in place here long before I was ever here. It's been interesting to see what sorts of things have been in place. I'm always trying to think through, 'how can we make things a little bit better?'" Schimpf explained.

"If there is to be any sort of change, there has to be a process. First you have to address the situation, then figure out if there really is a need for change."

Schimpf spent almost 15 years in total as a high school teacher. The career sparked his move from the classroom to an administrative position. The principal said he saw a need for a continued teacher's point-of-view at the administrative level.

"There was a high turnover at that point in Greencastle, as far as principals were concerned. I saw a lot of different ways to lead," Schimpf said. "Through those different styles of leadership, it made me want to be able to find a way to take the best of what I was seeing and be that principal leader who always had the teacher's mentality in mind.

"Teachers are in the trenches every day. They are in the classroom. They are working with the students. They are hands-on with the students. Having that recognition as an administrator is a have-to. If you are going to do the job every day, you have to remember what their life is like. They are bound by the bells ... I really want to try to help the teachers be the best they can be, so in turn the students will have the best opportunity for success in the classroom."