Crestview Local Schools’ new superintendent Randy Dunlap started his official duties on Aug. 1, and he says the district already feels like home.
“I love it, the people here have been great,” said Dunlap. “It seems to be a common thread with the people I talk to. No matter what groups they’re associated with the common piece seems to be it’s a great community, a great group of people, and the school is a wonderful place to be.”
Originally from the coalmines and steel mills of Harrison County, Dunlap has 17 years of administrative experience at Clinton-Massie Local Schools in Clarksville, Ohio as high school and middle school principal. He previously taught mathematics at Blanchester Local Schools and Lima City Schools. Dunlap earned a BS in Mathematics and a Masters in Education Theory and Practice from The Ohio State University.
After doing his research on Crestview Local Schools, Dunlap decided the expectations, community values, and centric nature of Crestview Local Schools would be the best fit for him and his family.
“There were particular districts I was looking at, very similar districts demographically to where I was (in Clinton-Massie),” said Dunlap. “I have a son in eighth grade and I felt like it was important to make sure I got into a district that had similar values and expectations.”
In his first few weeks as superintendent, Dunlap said he is trying to be a sponge, taking in as much information as possible and asking a lot of questions. He noted that he is relying on input from teachers and administrators in each building as to how best to serve their needs.
“So far everybody has been very receptive, it’s been really nice to talk to people and get a feel that this is the community,” said Dunlap. “It puts a lot of responsibility on me to know that this is where everything focuses on, and you’re the person in charge to make sure everything continues to run smoothly.”
Dunlap described Crestview’s teachers as “wonderful” and administrators as “energetic,” and said his experience as both a teacher and an administrator gives him a unique perspective as superintendent.
“As a teacher you connect with your 25 to 30 kids in your classroom at any one time; when you leave the classroom and become a building principal, what you do with those teachers impacts every student so you have to figure out how to teach the teachers,” he explained. “When you get to superintendent you still have to think that way, but now you’re the teacher of administrators.”
Crestview’s smaller size appealed to Dunlap so he could still be involved with students while also teaching the administrators. However, he noted his experience with mostly older students would make interacting with elementary and middle school students a learning experience.
“It’s going to be a challenge to be careful with elementary students, encouraging and responsive with kids in middle school, and be kind of the parent with high school kids because you have to get them ready to go,” he said. “You’ve got to be firm and fair with them, understanding that they’re still kids, but know there are certain expectations that they’re going to leave this environment at some point and be an impact on the community.”
Dunlap acknowledged the advantage of coming into a very successful district, but noted even successful districts have needs. One of his preliminary goals as new superintendent involves making teachers and students comfortable with new assessment and evaluation standards coming from the state. Another goal he said is to make sure Crestview High School students are provided with ample opportunities upon graduation.
“My philosophy is every building relies on each building; when you live in a small community and graduates come back to the community, they’re impacting the elementary because they’re having children who are coming through,” explained Dunlap.
He added, “My goal is to make sure when they leave the high school, they understand what it means to graduate from here and what the expectations are when you graduate from here, so when their children come back they’re already coming in with those expectations, which means we can raise the bar even further.”
Still, Dunlap noted his goals are ever-evolving as he continues to learn more about his new school district.
“I’m not the kind of person to make a lot of changes, when I first come in I want to evaluate everything and see how things are working, ask a lot of questions, and base my goals on what I learn,” he said. “My number one goal right now is to get to know the community well enough so I know what their needs are.”
No matter what groups they’re associated with the common piece seems to be it’s a great community, a great group of people, and the school is a wonderful place to be,” said Randy Dunlap.
