ONTARIO — Keith Strickler couldn’t stop smiling.
The Ontario Middle School principal was hired as the district’s next superintendent at a Monday night school board meeting.
Strickler will continue to serve as the middle school principal next school year and take over as district superintendent on Aug. 1, 2022. The board approved a five-year contract with Strickler, contingent upon the issuance of his superintendent’s license.
He’ll spent the next school year transitioning into his new role under the direction of current Supt. Lisa Carmichael.
“It is so amazing and quite humbling to be given the honor to lead in your hometown,” Strickler said. “Honestly, I have never worked anywhere where I enjoyed my job so much. Everywhere you could go there are problems and issues to deal with and the same is true at Ontario. The difference is that you are just surrounded by so many good and caring people here. We can get through anything together. Ontario really is a very special place.”
Carmichael will retire at the end of the 2021-2022 school year after 11 years with the district, but said she’s leaving the district in good hands.
“Keith is a phenomenal administrator with a great perspective,” Carmichael said. “Anyone that knows him knows that his enthusiasm is infectious. I’m really excited about the direction of the district under Keith.”
Strickler beamed as he thanked the board for the chance to lead Ontario schools.
“There’s no better place to be in. I love it,” he said.
Strickler began his educational career with five years as the technology education teacher at Shelby Middle School in 1994. He spent eight years teaching construction, manufacturing and STEM at the Pioneer Career and Technology Center.
From 2016 to 2018, he worked as a secondary school principal in the Crestline Exempted Village School District. He then spent a year teaching industrial technology at Ontario Middle School before being promoted to principal in 2019.
“The only negative is having to leave the middle school,” Strickler said of his promotion. “It is hard to explain just how much I love the students and staff at the middle school. They are the best group of people and work so hard.”
Strickler and his wife, Cindy, both graduated from Ontario High School. Their children are fourth-generation students in the district. Both of his parents graduated from Ontario, in addition to his aunts, uncles and most of his cousins. Both of his grandfathers worked for the district.
In a letter to the district, board President Heidi Zimmerman stated that blue and gold flows in veins.
“To say Keith loves Ontario School is an understatement,” Zimmerman wrote. “He strives each and every day to pass on to the students of our community what it means to be a Warrior.”
Zimmerman went on to commend Strickler’s ability to motivate teachers and students.
“Keith’s passion and enthusiasm for life is contagious,” she said. “He has high expectations for himself and other around him. Keith’s creative and innovative spirit, determination, knowledge of quality educational practices and people skills provide him with the qualities needed to be an excellent superintendent.”
The board also accepted a letter of resignation from director of education Mike Ream, effective July 31, and approved a new contract for Ream as assistant superintendent.
Carmichael said the change in title reflected the way Ream’s role has expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Mike’s job has evolved much more than just curriculum, instruction and assessment,” she said. “He was my right arm during the pandemic and did a lot with our unions and student involvement.”
Ream’s new job description incorporates his current curriculum and assessment duties along with other administrative tasks, Carmichael said. The director of education position will be eliminated.
