Chris Gensinger is excited to be returning as the principal at Eisenhower Elementary School this fall.
For the past two years, he served as assistant to the superintendent for Warsaw Community Schools. Before accepting that position, he was Eisenhower's only principal since the school opened in 1991.
"My experience here has been very positive," Gensinger said Thursday about serving as assistant to the superintendent. "I've learned a lot regarding school leadership as well as the different components that need to be in play to have a successful school year. I hope to use that as principal when I go back. This job offered a lot of experiences and challenges I'll take with me, but it didn't replace what I missed and that was the kids."
He said he never stopped missing the children and the school. He was reminded of it every day as he drove past the school on his way to work and home.
"I was treated very well while here. I feel I will be able to transfer what I learned here to the type of leader I will be. I'm looking forward to reconnecting to the students. I feel that is vital to being a principal - knowing the names of the students and what their needs are. To do that you must be very visible," Gensinger said. "I plan to lead a very vigorous program. That's no different than in the past."
Having served as assistant to the superintendent, he said he now recognizes the importance of monitoring instruction in every grade level in every classroom.
"I want to focus on students' levels and continue to find ways to effectively measure that. Hopefully, the data we measure will help us find best practices to put in place to reach all students," he said.
Beginning with the 2010-11 school year, new Madison and Leesburg elementary schools will be opened, as well as a renovated and expanded Jefferson. Claypool will be reopened after being closed since 2004, and also has been expanded and renovated. With the new buildings and Claypool reopened, Warsaw Community School Corp. redistricted.
For Eisenhower, that means student population will be reduced to 450 to 470 students. There also will be about six to eight less teachers, if tentative projections hold up, than Gensinger previously had as principal at Eisenhower.
"This will give me more time to spend with individual teachers and students," Gensinger said.
"I think it will be a rather smooth transition, obviously because I do have a strong bond with the Eisenhower community already. Most of those families will remain. I will miss the kids moving on to different buildings, there's no doubt about that," he said.
According to tentative projections, Eisenhower's student body will include 7 percent English as a second language and 33 percent free and/or reduced lunch students, the lowest in the school corporation. The special education population will run about 6 percent.
While Gensinger officially doesn't become Eisenhower's principal until July 26, he said he will be spending most of his summer getting ready.
"I'm working on personnel right now. Looking at full-time teacher placements, also looking at paraprofessional hours. Hiring for openings, posting jobs that may be available," Gensinger said.
"We have some semi-solid projected numbers of what we think enrollment will be so the teacher numbers are tentative, but we feel we're fairly certain," he said.
Besides teaching staff, he'll also look at custodians, office personnel, food service and bus drivers. Gensinger is starting to put together class lists as the summer progresses. He wants to update Eisenhower's Web site and begin looking at academic data.
"Also, we'll be preparing for registration as well as order supplies for next school year. It's going to be busy," he said.
"The one thing I want to see happen at Eisenhower, and that happens at all elementaries, is we should create fond memories of elementary for all of our students," Gensinger said.
No open houses are planned yet for Eisenhower this fall. Gensinger said he would like to do something at the opening of the school year, perhaps in the form of a meet-and-greet.New families to Eisenhower can always call him, he said, and his door will always be open. He invited new families to come in, take a tour of Eisenhower and share their concerns with him.
"I'm going back to familiar territory," he said. "The vast majority will know who I am and what I stand for. Those who don't I hope will make a contact."
"I welcome interaction with parents," he said. "This is just a homecoming for me."
As for his own family away from school and work, he and his wife, Janet, have been married for almost 31 years. They have two children, Dan, 24, and Beth, 26. Both live in the same apartment building in Chicago, and both work for Aramark. Beth is married to John Becker.
Gensinger started teaching at Washington Elementary in 1979. He taught sixth grade for six years before becoming principal at Jefferson for six years. When the new Harrison and Eisenhower schools were completed, Gensinger took over as Eisenhower's principal in 1991.
Gensinger said he wants to spend at least several more years at Eisenhower. He is still pursuing his education specialist license.
"I feel very fortunate to be employed by Warsaw Community Schools," he said.
