The next principal of Whiteland Elementary School should have little trouble adjusting to his new role, having been with Clark-Pleasant Community Schools for more than a decade.
Brent Schmidt will take the helm at the elementary school on Jan. 1, when current principal Cirsten Lewis transitions to a new role as the inaugural principal at Worthsville Elementary School, set to open in fall 2021.
Before becoming an administrator, Schmidt taught at Northeast Elementary School in Greenwood for three years before making the switch to Clark-Pleasant schools. He said he made the decision at the time because of its focus on collaboration and the needs of students, Schmidt said.
“I had a lot of respect for their core values,” Schmidt said. “It’s student-centered with a very caring faculty. There’s a real family feel to the district.”
After joining Clark-Pleasant schools, Schmidt taught at the defunct Clark-Pleasant Intermediate School for 11 years before serving two years as an instructional coach at Clark-Pleasant Middle School. He then made the transition to administration, serving the past two years in a split role as an assistant principal of both Break-O-Day Elementary School and Whiteland Elementary School, he said.
A 2001 graduate of Franklin College, he was able to make that transition after going back to school and earning a master’s degree in school administration from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2016. The jump from teacher to administrator was challenging, but it was a transition Schmidt enjoyed, he said.
“The biggest challenge going into the administrative position was the scope of responsibility, from being responsible for 30 something students to 540,” Schmidt said. “I welcomed it. It was a challenge I wanted and it was very exciting to me.”
Taking on the role of principal won’t be too much of a challenge due to the level of collaboration between building administrators, he said.
“The way we do leadership in the buildings is a joint process—principal and assistant principal are equal,” Schmidt said. “We collaborate a lot, decision-making is a team effort. With our district, we do a lot of joint leadership.”
Guidance from Lewis and Break-O-Day Elementary School Principal Laura Shipp helped prepare him to be principal, he said.
“They continue to foster my development and my leadership skills and help me grow as an organizational leader,” Schmidt said. “Both of them said to be myself and trust my instincts in decision-making. One of the biggest things is to be a listener.”
