Two educational professionals have strived to exceed expectations during their tenures in USD 257. With accomplishments in tow, they move on to give their skills, time and dedication to new districts.
David Grover and Gail Dunbar each started out their careers as teachers. The initial desire to make a difference in education is what drove the two. If you ask them, as they both head off to new school districts to become superintendents, that hasn’t changed. The only difference is how many children they can reach at once.
“When I came to Iola from Ottawa I knew there was an opportunity to help kids no matter what,” Grover said. “I wanted to come here, learn the culture and then do what I could to help everyone from the smartest kid in school all the way down to the kid who is scraping to get the credits and everyone in between.”
Certainly, with a district population that has an 85 percent student population eligible for reduced or free food meals, the need to build an approach that lifts up children who are living on the margins is one Grover took to heart. The lessons that he values from his experiences as Iola High School’s principal are ones he will take with him to Cheney school district in Sedgwick County.
“I can’t say for certain what I will want to do there that we’ve been successful doing here,” Grover said. “The main thing is to go there, listen to what people are saying they want from their school system, learn the culture there and then do the best job we can to build upon what’s there.”
Dunbar is also taking away many of the practical experiences of working for USD 257. As curriculum director, she has helped to bring several different programs to fruition in Iola. Instructional coaches’ primary job are to work side-by-side with teachers to improve the classroom experience. By working with different principles and techniques of teaching, the position is one that has helped to keep Iola’s classrooms near the front of educational development.
“The instructional coaches are a wonderful thing for our district,” Dunbar said. “They allow for better teaching in the classroom, professional development of the teachers and a better classroom experience. I would be ecstatic if we could do something similar in Plainville.”
Dunbar will move to USD 270, a school district north of Hays in Western Kansas. Many of the things that are in place in Iola don’t exist currently in Plainville, a fact that Dunbar said won’t be a big problem for her.
“They don’t have a position like the one I have now, out there. I’ll be working directly with the curriculum as superintendent so I think the experience I’ve managed to get in my position here will be invaluable to making the process of settling in there a smoother one than it might be otherwise.”
As for their memories of Iola and what they will miss the most, both echoed similar thoughts.
“I just want to make sure everyone here knows how much I and my family have enjoyed being a part of this community,” Grover said. “I’m getting this opportunity in large part because of the terrific staff and teachers I’ve had the privilege of working with. The community has so much to be proud of in terms of the schools here. We’re leaving having made a lot of great friends in the community.”
“This is one of those places where you really get to learn a great deal,” Dunbar said. “While there are challenges to each school district, Iola has provided a lot of experiences that I won’t take for granted. The people here are wonderful and I’ll miss the friends I’ve made here.”
