As the new school year begins, HCCSC would like to introduce the eight new administrators throughout the district who have joined us this summer. The eight administrators span the entire breadth of HCCSC, with at least one new administrator joining each of the high school, middle school, elementary and district-wide levels.
“The Board of School Trustees is excited to welcome these new administrators to HCCSC,” said Board of School Trustees President Matt Roth. “We are confident that the experience and energy these new leaders are bringing to our schools will have a tremendous benefit to our students and staff. We look forward to working with all of them to continue the track record of success in our school corporation.”
“I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Pat, Rachel, Randy, Kris, Mindy, Lindsay, Alex and Mike to HCCSC,” said Superintendent John Trout. “We are extremely blessed as a school community to welcome such a talented group of administrators to our district who will have a positive impact on our students and staff for this upcoming school year. I am looking forward to working with this group of administrators and welcome them to HCCSC!”
We hope you enjoy learning a little bit about each of our eight new administrators, and if you see them as we start the school year, please be sure to welcome them to the HCCSC family!
Pat McLaughlin, Principal, Huntington North High School
Pat joins the Viking family with 19 years of experience as a high school principal. After graduating from Manchester College in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in secondary education social studies, Pat taught social studies at Bishop Dwenger High School in Fort Wayne for seven years before transitioning to the Dean of Students position for the following three years. Pat returned to the classroom to again teach social studies at Prairie Heights High School in LaGrange for a year and a half before becoming the school’s principal for the next five and a half years. In 2009, Pat made the jump to Eastbrook High School in Marion to serve as the school’s principal, a position he held until joining Huntington North this summer. In addition to his bachelor’s degree, Pat also holds a master’s degree in educational administration from IPFW in 2002 and an education specialist degree in educational leadership, superintendency from Oakland City University earlier this year.
Rachel Yarger, Assistant Principal, Huntington North High School
No stranger to the halls of Huntington North, Rachel joins the administrative team after spending nine and a half years as an English teacher at Huntington North, also serving as a department chair and student council co-sponsor. Before coming to Huntington North, Rachel spent one and a half years as a high ability teacher at Northview Elementary School in Gas City and one year as a middle school language arts teacher at R.J. Baskett Middle School in Gas City. A 2010 graduate of Huntington University with a bachelor’s degree in general elementary, middle grades language arts and secondary English education, Yarger also holds master’s degrees in learning and technology and educational leadership from Western Governors University. In 2018, Yarger was named as Huntington North’s teacher of the year and HCCSC’s secondary teacher of the year.
Randy Hawkins, Assistant Principal and Athletic Director, Crestview Middle School
Randy comes to Crestview after serving as the assistant principal at Bishop Luers High School in Fort Wayne for four years after 17 years working as a special education teacher between Wayne High School, Norwell Middle School and Norwell High School. Randy also holds over 20 years of coaching experience between basketball, cross country and track and field. A 2001 graduate of IPFW with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, Randy also holds a master’s degree from IPFW in elementary education and a master’s degree from Ball State University’s Director of Exceptional Needs program. Randy completed his educational leadership certification in 2018 at IPFW.
Kris Teusch, Dean of Students, Flint Springs Elementary School
Kris returns to HCCSC after spending last year as a math teacher at Carroll High School in Fort Wayne. Before leaving for Carroll, Kris served at Huntington North as the athletic director for six years, a physical education teacher for one year, a math teacher for 12 years and an assistant principal for two years. Kris spent one year as assistant principal and athletic director at Salamonie School following her first stint at Huntington North as a math teacher for five years. Kris is a 1990 graduate of Purdue University with a bachelor’s degree in movement and sports science. Kris received her teaching certification in mathematics from IPFW in 1994 and her master’s degree in secondary school administration and supervision from IPFW in 1999.
Mindy Reust, Principal, Horace Mann Elementary School
A friendly face to all Huskies families, Mindy steps into the principal role at Horace Mann after serving as the assistant principal last school year. Mindy is a lifelong member of the HCCSC family, graduating from Huntington North High School and spending her professional career working within HCCSC in a number of positions. She began as a teacher at Andrews Elementary School for 15 years before moving to Lincoln Elementary School as a counselor for one year. The following year, Mindy returned to Andrews to fill its counselor position, where she remained until joining the Horace Mann family last school year. Mindy earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Huntington College, a master’s degree in counseling from IPFW and her principal licensure from Indiana Wesleyan University.
Lindsay Racine, Assistant Principal, Horace Mann Elementary School
Lindsay joins the Horace Mann family after spending the last two years as the program supervisor of special education for East Allen County Schools. Lindsay served the previous seven years as a special education and English teacher between East Allen County Schools and Fort Wayne Community Schools following one year as a teacher of service at Imagine MASTer Academy. A 2012 graduate of Ashford University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, Lindsay also holds master’s degrees in exceptional needs and educational leadership.
Alex Burgess, Assistant Director of Food Service
A familiar face within the food service department, Alex assumes his new role after spending the last three years as the kitchen manager at Riverview Middle School. Before joining HCCSC in 2019, Alex served eight months as the director of dining services at Morrison Living in North Manchester after over 14 years spent in management or executive roles within the restaurant and catering industries. A 2001 graduate of Indiana University, Alex holds several licenses and qualifications within the food industry.
Mike Sumpter, Director of Technology
Mike comes to HCCSC with an extensive background in the technology field. A graduate of Ancilla College with an associate’s degree in computer science and programming and Calumet College of St. Joseph with a bachelor’s degree in organizational business management, Mike holds 28 years of professional experience in technology, with 20 years served within school districts. Among Mike’s various academic technology positions include serving 10 years as the technology director for the Union-North United School Corporation. Since his last stop working within a school district in 2018, Mike spent four years as the CEO of Xyity, Inc. and two years as the chief information officer for the Diocese of Gary.