Jacob Hoag gets to be Madison Elementary School's principal at the old building and the new one.
This is Hoag's first year as Madison's principal, having replaced Jeff Neumann who resigned at the end of the 2008-09 school year. The new Madison Elementary is expected to be completed in time for the 2010-11 school year. The transition from the old to the new school is something Hoag is excited about."It's obviously extremely exciting," Hoag said in an interview in his office Wednesday morning. "It's something to look forward to. I know the kids are excited, I know the staff are excited."
Hoag and the staff visited the construction site of the new Madison school one day and took a group photo.
"It's always exciting to build a school from the ground up," Hoag said.
He has sat in on building construction meetings, and met with Madison staff on procedures for the new school.
"It's definitely an exciting time for Warsaw Schools," Hoag said.
The last six years, Hoag served as principal at Indian Springs Middle School in Columbia City. Prior to that, he taught at the middle school.
His family currently still lives in the Whitley county seat. Along with his wife, Meggan, Jacob has three children. Katie is 6 years old and in the first grade. She loves to go to school and read. The two sons, Kameron, 4, and Kyle, 2, like to play outside and do typical "boy stuff."
Asked why he wanted to be a principal, Hoag said, "I think when I decided to go back and get my master's degree, that's when I started exploring leadership."
He's always enjoyed being a leader and working with a large group of people. He felt he had something to offer in that area.
"I really enjoy it. I enjoy working with the kids, the staff and the parents," Hoag said.
By being principal, Hoag said he really gets to increase his sphere of influence and interact with more people. He can impact change on a larger scale.
His philosophy as a principal is that he believes in shared leadership and responsibility. He doesn't pretend to have all the answers. He believes in data-based decision making.
"I believe that all children can learn," Hoag said.
Taking the principal position at Madison offered Hoag the opportunity to learn, too.
He currently is working on his education specialist degree for a superintendent's license. By taking the elementary school principal's job, it will help expand his background in the education field.
And not only is Madison close to home, Hoag said he knew Warsaw has a good school system and Madison is a good school. It was a good opportunity for him to explore.
Since taking the principal's job, Hoag said the people have been incredibly welcoming. At registration, he had the chance to meet a large number of parents. Before the school year started, he also had the opportunity to meet a large number of the staff.
Jacob said Meggan asked him once what the biggest difference was between middle school and elementary school. He responded it was "a lot of high-fives and hugs."
"It's been a very smooth transition," Hoag said.
As for goals for the first year, Hoag said the school is working on a number of different things. The main goal, however, is to observe. He wants to get to know the staff and community and decide from there the right angle to move forward.
He said they are working on procedures and expectations for this year and for the new Madison when it opens.
They also are looking at reading and math. For reading, the school is looking at Readers Workshop. For math, the school is working on challenging the students more in that area.
"I invite people to call or stop by if they have concerns," Hoag said. "I really believe a school is a place where people should be proud of and stop by."
