Being the new guy isn't easy

Community members are encouraged to remember that when a long-time school corporation superintendent is replaced, the person who comes in after them must cope with a myriad of situations that would make most mere mortals run to their caves and hide their heads.

Such is the case of the new Delphi Community School Corporation Superintendent, Ralph Walker. Mr. Walker has been faced with several daunting obstacles, such as replacing a high school principal, a middle school principal and now, perhaps, an elementary school principal.

Walker is learning to work with seven board members plus each building administration staff, but all of those people are learning to work with only one new superintendent. He is dealing with a host of the normal and usual occurrences that present themselves weekly to any superintendent to remedy and rectify.

We applaud Mr. Walker for meeting these challenges head-on with honesty, integrity and above all, grace in the face of such adversity. Remember, he has only been on the job less than two months.

Through the stress and challenges of inevitable change, he still finds time to remember what is most important in life, our children.

Walker will dress in farmer garb and drive a tractor pulling a hay wagon loaded with kindergarten students to a make-believe pumpkin patch behind the high school several times this week and next.

The reason a superintendent would decide to do this is simple. Walker understands the importance of children feeling like the superintendent is interested in their lives. This act will help children feel connected to the school as a corporation-family and not just to their classroom teacher and to the building in which they attend classes. This act shows humility.

The community should support and applaud Walker for bringing a fresh perspective to the Delphi Community School Corporation and to the board members who exhibited the wisdom to recognize what this community needed and act on that wisdom.