After a year of being somewhat retired, Hillsboro native and longtime educator Mike Bick has been selected as the new elementary principal for the Bright Local School District.
A 1977 Hillsboro High School graduate who worked 32 years for the Eastern Brown schools, Bick replaces Geri Earley, who accepted a similar position at Fayetteville.
“I brought him on because he’s a true professional,” said Bright Local Superintendent Ted Downing. “I wanted someone with a lot of experience because you can’t buy that. We’re turning the elementary over to him and I’m looking forward to working with him for many years to come. I’m very excited to bring him on as a member of the Whiteoak team. I think he has a lot of great ideas and will implement them accordingly. There will be some changes, but they’ll be good ones.”
Downing and Bick worked together at the Eastern Brown schools from 1991 to 2009.
Bick was art teacher for grades 5-12 at Eastern Brown for 17 years starting in 1983, then served 15 years as the principal at Sardinia Elementary. He retired at the end of the 2014-15 school year, but served as a substitute at Bright Local for an extended period last year.
Bick will be in charge of grades preK through six this coming school year at Bright Elementary. He said he hopes to continue working as long as the school district while have him.
“It’s a great opportunity and a great school,” Bick said. “When I got in the school system last year I could see things that were so positive. The kids were great and the staff had a great attitude. I couldn’t beat the situation for where I’m at right now.”
It was because he missed the kids, Bick said, that he decided he wanted to re-enter the education field full-time.
“I missed being around them and affecting them in a positive way, being a positive influence in their lives,” Bick said. “I’m not trying to be hokey. It’s something I’ve always liked – having that kind of influence on kids.”
He said he hopes to bring a positive academic climate to Bright Elementary, make people feel welcome, and will have an open door policy.
“There are two things I want,” Bick said. “I want the kids to come to school and feel safe and protected and I want them to have the best education possible.”
Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522 or on Twitter @13gillilandj.
