I am excited and humbled to be the superintendent of Hooker
Public Schools. The students, staff,
parents, and community are truly outstanding!
I am proud to be a Bulldog and am honored to help continue the tradition
of excellence in the school district.
Ottumwa, Iowa, also home of the Bulldogs is where I was
born, so I have been a Bulldog all my life.
In 5th grade my family moved to Texas and I graduated from
J.M. Hanks High School in El Paso where I also met my wife, Melissa, in choir
class. She is a lifelong educator, Mom,
& Mimi. We have two children: Jenica who is married to Matthew, and Jace
who is married to Andreia. We have five
grandkids.
I am a first generation college graduate having attended
Seward County Community College on a baseball scholarship before moving on to
the University of North Texas where my team beat the 4th ranked
Sooners. (Really, you can look it
up.) After that athletic highlight, I
went on to Emporia State University, the University of Southern Mississippi,
and Southwestern College earning degrees at all three institutions culminating
in a doctorate in 2016. Throughout high
school and college I worked in various jobs including being a bus boy,
landscaper, and bacon press operator in a meat packing plant.
This is the third school district in which I have
served. I spent ten years in Elkhart, KS
as an English & P.E. teacher, coaching all sports. Then, I became a principal and later
superintendent in Moscow, KS for a total of 23 years. I also coached and sponsored just about every
sport and activity available while in Moscow.
In closing, God has a unique path for all of us and I
appreciate you reading about mine. Most
importantly, though, I want you to discover your own path. If you are a student, work hard in your
classes and stay involved in as many activities as possible. Look for opportunities to discover what you
are good at and enjoy doing. Regardless
of the path you choose after high school, education truly is the key to
unlocking your success. Take advantage
of all that is offered at Hooker Public Schools.