Name: Kristen Kearns
Position: High School Assistant Principal
Q: Can you tell me a little about your professional background?
A: I went to Purdue for my undergrad on a full ride scholarship. I majored in elementary education. I moved from there to Columbus and then Florida. While working in Florida, I got my masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Florida. Then I moved back to Ohio, where I got my masters in Educational Leadership from OSU in 2022.
Q: What schools have you previously worked at and what was your position there?
A:I’ve taught seventh-grade English Language Arts and 10th grade ELA in Florida. I’ve spent the last 10 years at Jefferson Local Schools, starting as a fifth grade ELA teacher, and leaving as the director of curriculum and assistant principal.
Q: What drew you to Bexley?
A: Bexley is twice the size of my old district, but what I like about it is that it’s still small enough to make personal connections. Bexley also has amazing inclusivity and does a good job of making sure the needs of the whole student body is met, which intrigued me. I was blown away by the level of value Bexley puts on things like student voice, parent voice and community voice. I think it just shows how much Bexley cares about what everyone has to say.
Q: So far, what have you liked about Bexley, and how is it different from other schools?
A: The students here are so incredibly kind, and the staff has been so welcoming, which has made this transition a lot easier on me. Another thing that I find surprising is the willingness of students to make their wrongs right, which is a very impressive thing. There’s no making excuses, and they are very honest and respectful in that manner.
Q: What impact are you hoping to have on the school and the district?
A: As someone who didn’t have a super fun high school experience, I want [students] to have some fun and enjoyment in those moments. I want to make that learning more than a report card grade but for the greater good.
Q:What has surprised you the most and what is your favorite thing about your new position?
A: My favorite thing so far has been getting to know everyone, and the most surprising thing is the school lunches here are actually really good. For as small as the district is, I’m blown away at how many opportunities are out there for students, whether its clubs or sports there’s just so much for students to get involved in.
Q:What would you like people to know about you both as a person and an administrator?
A:As cliche as it sounds, I love to learn and I love to try and experience new things. Right now I’m learning to garden, I love to have fun, I love a good book and I love my family. As an administrator, I just want students to have the most enjoyable high school experience possible, and I’m also always here. My door is always open.
Name: Willie Cook
Position: High School Assistant Principal
Q: Can you tell me a little about your professional background?
A: I’m a non-traditional educator – what that means is that I don’t traditionally come from an educational background, I wasn’t a teacher before this. I was a project engineer in the construction industry, so I’ve been on some projects that were pretty cool: The Hilton Cleveland downtown, I was on the Browns stadium project and the Case Western Reserve Malt Performing Arts Center project, which was a formally Jewish synagogue that was converted into a performing arts center. I was in a program called the Bright Fellowship, and I worked my way up in education through that program at Ohio State. I switched to education because building is great, but I would rather be building people. Education means more to me on a personal level than construction.
Q: What schools have you previously worked at and what was your position there?
A:I was dean of students at Canton McKinley High School, the leader of campus support at Akron East High School and assistant principal at Copley High School.
Q: What drew you to Bexley?
A: I like the strong academic tradition and emphasis on inclusion.
Q: So far, what have you liked about Bexley and how is it different from other schools?
A: It seems like a very tight-knit community; students seem to be nice to each other. One cool thing that I noticed is even when some sports teams are maybe not doing as great as they could be, the support is still always there, whether [Bexley] is winning or losing. I also like that a lot of the student body is dedicated to achieving their goals.
Q: What impact are you hoping to have on the school and the district?
A: When we are doing things like the teacher student dodgeball match or the rock paper scissors tournament, I’m trying to engage students in a way that is not academic. I want students to be engaged and focused with the school community, and not just from the academic side of it. I think every student in this building should be a part of at least one club or organization, whether it be a sport, Student Council or whatever else you want to be a part of. I’m going to be working on some plans to build that student leadership and make school a place students want to come to.
Q:What has surprised you the most/what is your favorite thing about your new position?
A: I like that the school is in the middle of the city. It’s a little different, but I actually like it because everything is right here. In some other schools I’ve worked up in northeast Ohio, a lot of the schools are really massive and spread out which is nice, but it’s good to have a change of place. I like the city as much as the more open, spread out areas.
Q:What would you like people to know about you both as a person and an administrator?
A: I am 100% high accountability, so while you see Mr. Cook having fun a lot, I love to have fun with students, but there is a level of accountability. I also want staff and students to understand that every time that I do something in the building that some people may think is a waste of time, there is a purpose for it. It’s to support you guys as people, but I also want to hold you guys accountable for things that may not go right.
Name: Dr. Stephen Lewis
Position: Leader of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Q: Can you tell me a little bit about your position?
A:The district has recognized that diversity, equity and inclusion are important parts of the learning environment. My responsibility is to ensure from a cultural perspective that all of our students feel a sense of belonging, that this is their school, that they add value to the learning process and they can be themselves. Also to expand that throughout the community, to ensure that our community is aware of what we are doing to create a culture where all of our students feel valued and feel a sense of belonging.
Q: Can you tell me a little about your professional background?
A: I began my transition to education in 2010. My previous background was in financial services, banking, operations and doing DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) work at a corporate level. When I transferred into education I used my background in business and was a business teacher from 2012 to 2021.
Q: What drew you to Bexley?
A: The focus by the leadership of the district is to embed diversity, equity and inclusion in all functions of the district. But what I found in [Bexley] was that from the city leadership from the mayor, City Council, the Board of Education, the superintendent of the district, everyone is on the same journey towards creating a sense of belonging. Not only in the community, but in the school, and the school is a reflection of the community. So if the community is focused and energetic, and enthusiastic about a sense of belonging, then when you are in Bexley you are welcome. You won’t find that in many cities.
Q: What impact are you hoping to have on the school and the district?
A: I would like to see all of our students be successful, I would like them to know that it doesn’t matter what [students’] identities are, they won’t be judged for being a member of the LGBTQ+ community or being a person of color. Students can be who they are and be successful. Ultimately that’s what I would like to see happen: a culture where all students can flourish.
Q: What do you like about Bexley and how is it different from other schools that you have worked at in the past?
A: Two E’–equity and empathy; two I’s–integrity and inclusion; two R’s–respect and responsibility; and a W for well being. These are the values of our strategic plan and our district. Those are so empowering. To me, that’s what is the value that is here that makes this work and is truly my motivation for doing it.
Q:What has surprised you the most/what is your favorite thing about your new position?
A: What has surprised me is the support, the acceptance of trying to move the district forward. What surprises me is that the mayor is supportive of this work; again, you don’t find that in many places.
Q:What would you like people to know about you both as a person and an administrator?
A: I think most importantly for students to know that I care. I get a lot of joy from what I do because I know that what I do is helpful; if I didn’t think it was helpful then I wouldn’t do it. So what I want students to know is that it’s important to me that they are successful.
