OTTAWA HILLS, Ohio — Adam Fineske worked for Sylvania Schools for nearly two decades. Now, he's taking on a new challenge as he begins his first full week as Ottawa Hills Local Schools Superintendent.
He is spending the week meeting as many people as possible.
It's a bit of an adjustment, going from overseeing a district of about 8,000 students to one of about 1,000.
Fineske said the size might be different, but not the goal. He said he knows he has some big shoes to fill. Ottawa Hills is in the top 1% of school districts in the nation.
When asked if he was feeling the pressure, he replied, "A little bit. Not too much. For me it's more about coming in and being the new guy. I'm gonna spend a lot of time getting to know people."
Fineske said he's excited for a new challenge, not just maintaining straight A's for the district but making it even better. According to him, innovation is key.
"All of our K through 4th graders have their own Chromebook and our 5th through 12th graders have their own Apple laptop. That's been huge for the opportunities we've been able to create," Fineske said.
He sais that as he gets to know more people, he plans to focus the coming weeks on the "why?" Why the district and those who make it up do what they do.
"Our mission is to really provide a challenging and inspiring environment for kids. Innovative learning experiences. At the same time, making sure the kids know they're life-long learners. They're always going to be learning. And to make sure they're good citizens," Fineske said.
He said a big change will be no busing in the district. While he won't miss that, he will take decisions to cancel school because of winter weather seriously. Fineske also added he is aware the district has historically stayed open when many have closed.
Fineske said he's also working to add more green to his wardrobe.