The Van Wert County Courthouse

Friday, Mar. 29, 2024

New Crestview supt. ready for challenge

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

CONVOY — Crestview Elementary Principal Kathy Mollenkopf has spent most of her lifetime in the Crestview school system, first as a student, and then as a teacher, dean of students, assistant athletic director, and, for the last 18 years, as elementary principal. Now she’s taking on a new role: superintendent.

Crestview Elementary Principal Kathy Mollenkopf will be moving to a new office in August as she becomes the district’s new superintendent then. Dave Mosier/Van Wert independent

Mollenkopf said she’s ready to take a greater leadership role in the district.

“I love this district, I love the kids in this district,” she said, noting that she and her husband, Randy, are both from the area (she from the Wren area and he from the Convoy area) and their children, Brooke and Blake, also graduated from Crestview. “I love this community and I really am excited about the opportunities that present themselves to lead on a different platform.”

Mollenkopf earned her bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and then was hired by then-Superintendent Steve Keller, who was in his first year in that position, as an eighth grade and freshman English teacher. After 11 years as an English teacher, she then became dean of students at Crestview, a position that no longer exists, and assistant athletic director before taking her current job as elementary principal in 2000, replacing the retiring Ray Etzler.

Along the way, she also furthered her education with a principal’s certification from the University of Dayton and her superintendent’s certification from Ashland University.

Mollenkopf said her knowledge of the district will be a plus in her new role.

“I know this community, I believe I know the families,” she said, adding that she feels she has the experience and skills needed for her new role. “My desire as superintendent is to help move this district forward in a direction that presents an opportunity for the kids who graduate from here to have the necessary skillset they need to be successful in the 21st century.”

That doesn’t mean there won’t be challenges, she said, but added she plans to broaden communication with district residents on what is happening at Crestview, since community support is crucial to the district’s continued success.

“You can’t do anything alone, it’s a team effort,” Mollenkopf said, adding that Crestview is lucky to have a community that really supports its schools. “That’s huge.”

The superintendent-to-be said the focus today is on both college and career readiness, which means Crestview has to ensure that every student is equipped with the skills they need to follow their desires. While a number of students will likely go to college, that’s not for everybody, Mollenkopf added.

“Some might pursue some sort of technical training, some may go directly into the workforce, but they all need the skillset to work collaboratively, to critically think through situations,” she explained. “I think these are skills that employers want no matter what profession or vocation you choose in life.”

Mollenkopf also said that, while state report card results can have meaning, there are other things at least as important in assessing a school district’s capabilities.

“All districts are more than just a onetime snapshot of a local report card,” she said, noting that she plans to compile a profile of all that the Crestview district does well to share with local residents.

In fact, communication will be a focus of her administration, Mollenkopf said, stressing that she plans to have an open door policy and hopes district residents will feel free to contact her with their questions and concerns.

“You have to be able to talk to people, but you also have to listen, too,” the incoming superintendent added.

To that end, she plans to implement a superintendent’s Q&A feature on the school website so district residents can email questions to her and she can provide answers back. Mollenkopf said she also plans to create a superintendent’s advisory committee that would provide input on future challenges and opportunities.

One of the accomplishments of which she is proudest is her creation of the district Pride Committee, which has helped Crestview improve its report card results, while also moving the district from a junior high concept to the current middle school concept, which she said has improved educational opportunities for students in that age group.

Meanwhile, since demographics have changed at Crestview — and nearly every school across the nation — she said she hopes to increase an emphasis on district “wrap-around” services: non-teaching services that nevertheless benefit the educational process. Mollenkopf said she believes adding a social worker and school resource officer would greatly increase student safety and well-being, while also allowing teachers to do what they do best: teach.

“School safety is more than just physical safety in a building,” Mollenkopf said. “It’s an emotional safety, it’s a social safety.”

While Mollenkopf said she feels the district has a wonderful staff and is doing very well, both educationally and financially, improvement is always possible, and she hopes district residents will share their vision of the district’s future with her.

“I want that opportunity to have that dialogue with people,” she said.

From now until August 1, when her term as superintendent begins, Mollenkopf plans to work with current Superintendent Mike Estes to ensure a smooth transition.

POSTED: 02/24/18 at 9:22 am. FILED UNDER: News