The Triad Local School District is welcoming three new administrators this year. From left is new Curriculum Director Morgan Fagnani, new Superintendent Vickie Hoffman and Interim Middle School Principal Doug Lowery.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Will Channell)
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There are three new administrators at Triad Local Schools this year, and they’re hoping to use their experience to help the district.
“We all have definite, different strengths and different experiences,” said new Triad Superintendent Vickie Hoffman.
Hoffman, Curriculum Director Morgan Fagnani and Interim Middle School Principal Doug Lowery are all going into their first year at the district. The three of them are leaning on each other and the existing faculty during the early part of the year.
“We’re all trying to learn three different things,” Hoffman said. “There’s a bit of a learning curve, but I think we all have a very deep trust of each other.”
All three complimented the existing staff, and Hoffman said mixing the experience of veteran Triad faculty and the new ideas of new people is ideal.
“I think it’s a perfect match to kind of have half and half,” Hoffman said.
Fagnani has been in education the least amount of time, but she already has some ideas for the district. She has a focus in professional development, and has been working with faculty on various initiatives and projects.
“It’s only about three weeks in, but so far I’ve spent some time putting together a testing calendar for the year, I’m spending a lot of time getting to know teachers,” Fagnani said.
Fagnani has been an educator for five years. She received her undergraduate degree in human development and family studies in 2012 at The Ohio State University, her master’s in education administration at Ashland University and is finishing her doctorate in education at Ashland, too.
She said she spent some time at Columbus City Schools as a reading specialist, and then moved to Madison-Plains Local Schools as a sixth grade teacher teaching language arts and science.
“At about January, I started to get the itch to move into administration,” she said. “That’s kind of when I was trying to decide what I wanted to do.”
Fagnani said she was debating between being a principal and working in curriculum. She said she had more positive experiences with curriculum, so when the Triad position popped up, she applied.
“The rural setting is always where I wanted to be,” she said. “That’s what I was looking for in my initial search.”
Lowery got a similar itch for a rural setting, though his path was a bit more winding.
He received his undergraduate degree in education from Ohio Dominican University in 1979, his master’s degree in educational administration at the University of Dayton and a doctorate in educational administration from Atlantic University.
Lowery said he’s a “farm family guy.” He started teaching when he was 19.
“I love working in a farm environment,” Lowery said. “It’s what I came from, so it’s always been my hope and dream to come back to a rural community.”
He said he’s been a teacher for most of his career. He taught his first four years in Catholic Schools in the Columbus area. He then worked at Madison-Plains Local Schools, then 24 years in Hilliard.
Most recently, he was superintendent for four years at the Central Ohio School for the Deaf.
“I’m just really excited to be here,” Lowery said.
Hoffman graduated from Wright State University in 1995 with a bachelor of arts, and received her Master’s in education from Ashland University. She’s currently working on a doctorate in education from the University of Dayton.
Before Triad, she spent 24 years at North Union Local Schools. She started as a first grade teacher, moved up to assistant, then permanent elementary school principal and ended her time there as the district’s chief academic officer.
While originally from Galion, Hoffman had ties to Richwood. When she was young, her family moved to Richwood and bought the Richwood Cardinal grocery store.
“They owned that grocery store for 31 years,” Hoffman said. “That’s what brought me this direction.”
Hoffman said Triad appealed to her because she wanted something smaller and more rural.
“That’s what I grew up in and felt like I had a definite connection with that kind of student,” Hoffman said.
Now that she’s on the job, Hoffman said she’s simply excited for the school year to start in earnest.
“I’m very excited to have students in the buildings,” Hoffman said. “Even today (Tuesday) is the first day with all of the teachers. It’s just a different energy. It’s just contagious.”
Once the new school year kicks off, that means work in the curriculum department. Fagnani said she’s excited to “get in and start working with teachers.”
“Start looking at student achievement, start evaluating and looking at where we need to go,” she said.
For Hoffman’s part, the future also holds continuing the work of the previous superintendent, Chris Piper.
Hoffman said Piper had been working to make sure faculty know what the school’s standards are. She said Piper also worked to make sure teachers could apply what they were teaching in different ways.
“If that foundation isn’t solid, then it’s hard to build on top of it,” Hoffman said.