Inkwells & Acroynms - August 2008
By Sue McCracken
Inkwells and acronyms; the old and the new; change. Don Achelpohl, Kim Sheets, Mike Dailey, Kelly Schloss, Aaron Becker. Do any of these names sound familiar? All are new members of the school district’s administrative team and all represent a transition from the old to the new. One researcher determined it takes seven years for change to fully be implemented in an organization; with the quality of these new leaders, however, I am confident it will be a smooth and much shorter transition period for our district. Let me introduce these new district leaders to the community.
After an extensive search process which involved the board, administrative staff, teacher representatives, parents, and community members, the board selected Mr. Don Achelpohl to assume leadership of the district. Mr. Achelpohl is an experienced school leader, coming to Fairfield from Orion, Illinois, a district just outside the Quad Cities. Mr. Achelpohl hit the ground running from day one as he became acclimated to the nuances of the district and the staff that makes it all happen. With six working days before the first board meeting, Mr. Achelpohl was quickly immersed in the business of moving the district forward. With his years of experience leading school districts, we are confident Mr. Achelpohl is a great addition to our team.
Having a new superintendent is a major change for any district. Adding a new board secretary and business manager into the mix is a lot like trying to piece together a puzzle without a picture to follow. Kim Sheets, Janne Hunsaker’s successor, comes to Fairfield from the Washington School District where she held a similar position. Like Mr. Achelpohl, Kim quickly immersed herself in the details of payroll, district accounts, and all those rows of filing cabinets with their history of the district’s spending. With determination and a quick smile, Kim is ready to do her part to keep the district running smoothly and efficiently.
A new superintendent and business manager. Doesn’t sound too unmanageable – yet. Now consider a totally new administrative team at the middle school! Replacing a veteran team is an enormous challenge. Fortunately, there were many qualified candidates applying for the positions, and we feel very confident about the new team coming in. Mike Dailey is no newcomer to the district – in fact, Mr. Dailey is a graduate of FHS who has held several positions in the physical education and athletic departments. Since being hired as the middle school principal, Mike has attended leadership conferences and has been meeting with the administrative team to plan middle school staff development for the upcoming school year. Joining Mike at the associate principal’s position will be Kelly Schloss. Many staff members in the district have had a chance to work with Mrs. Schloss in her former role as a math specialist with the Great Prairie AEA. Kelly’s experiences as a middle school math teacher as well as an AEA specialist will serve her well in her new position.
Let’s see . . . that’s four new administrators – not quite half the team – yet! Soon after aforementioned positions were filled, the associate principal position at the high school opened up and the call for applicants went out with a number of very qualified individuals applying for the position. After interviews were completed, Aaron Becker, 7-12 principal at Harmony, got the nod to assume Mr. Bandy’s position. Mr. Becker has been a principal and athletic director for several years for the Harmony District and is looking forward to helping the high school progress with plans for improving the infrastructure as well as helping implement the new Iowa Core Curriculum mandated by the Iowa Department of Education.
