Newly hired Navin Elementary Principal Katie Van Schoyck brings a message of hope to the district.
The former elementary principal from the Groveport-Madison School District was approved by the Marysville Board of Education Thursday night to replace Lynette Lewis who will retire at the end of the school year.
“I’ve really been thinking about hope as I’ve been working with our students the past few weeks,” Van Schoyck told the board Thursday after her hiring.
She described sitting in recently on a meeting with a local family of a student dealing with autism, a situation that can prove overwhelming to both the parents and the student.
“Those meetings can talk a lot about what a student cannot do yet, and they can be kind of defeating,” Van Schoyck said. “And some of these parents are wondering what is the future look like – what does 20 years from now look like.”
She said the meeting did not dwell on the obstacles ahead of the student, transitioning from a focus on the impossible to the possible.
“We talked about the hope that we have for this student and all that they are going to be able to do,” Van Schoyck said. “To see that that is alive and well in Marysville is really inspiring.”
The new principal said her roots in education grew from a situation that was also overwhelming, when she only in first grade. An “ornery” student, Van Schoyck said a teacher decided to channel her energy by sitting her next to a student who needed extra help in class.
“I didn’t quite know how I could help this student,” she said. “I wasn’t sure what to do, I was just a kid, but I knew I could be a friend.”
Van Schoyck said the recognition that all students, regardless of situation, need help to grow was instilled from that lesson.
“I really had that calling from that point on,” Van Schoyck said.
Marysville Superintendent Diane Allen said Van Schoyck is a fierce champion for students, focusing on student need and supporting all children, regardless of their challenges.
Van Schoyck was picked from a list of three finalists for the $102,000-per-year job. She was the only finalist to have actual work experience as a principal, rather than just the appropriate license.
She has a bachelor’s in education from Capital University and a master’s from Ohio State. She served as assistant principal at two buildings at Groveport-Madison before being named principal at Sedalia Elementary School in 2002.
Also considered for the position were Melissa Izar, a seventh grade math intervention specialist at Upper Arlington, and Bethann Morey, a Marysville teacher since 2000 who as most recently held positions as an instructional coach.
Van Schoyck said the results that Marysville has produced in the classroom are remarkable based on the budget challenges facing the district.
“You are doing things that seemingly, on paper, may be impossible,” she said. “Your kids are growing – how inspiring to see what they’re doing.”
But through her message of optimism was a thread of concern over finances. She said budgets are important, but funding concerns create their own set of obstacles.
“You can’t be that lean forever and have those results forever and so I want to help in any way I can,” she said.
Van Schoyck said she is prepared for the highs and lows that might be set in her path as Navin’s new principal when she takes over Aug. 1.
“There’s a lot of hope and a lot of challenge in Marysville,” She said. “I love a good fight.”
In other business, the board:
- Honored a variety of students who received statewide or special recognition in extra-curricular and co-curricular programs.
- Heard a presentation from administrators at the Early College High School.
- Approved a $539,746 contract with Duro-last Roofing to repair and replace a portion of the Early College High School roof. It was noted that the portion of the roof in question had not seen work since 2001 and was not improved with the state grant used to reopen the Early College High School in 2014.
- Approved a bid from H&A Mechanical for $252,000 to perform the installation of a chiller replacement at Creekview Intermediate School.
- Learned that the treasurer received a clean audit for fiscal year 2023.
- Learned that the transportation task force has helped formulate a proposed revised bell schedule for next school year. A communication with be sent to district families listing the proposed schedule and the rationale behind the move. Parents will be encouraged to provide feedback on the schedule and the issue will be brought before the board in April or May.