Seymour hires two new assistant principals

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Two Seymour Community School Corp. schools have started 2021-22 with new assistant principals.

Monica Notestine of Columbus has filled the position at the Seymour Middle School Sixth Grade Center, and Angie Wieneke of Seymour has been hired at Seymour-Jackson Elementary School.

The board of education hired Notestine on July 26. She replaces Ashley Stahl, who is now the assistant principal at Seymour-Redding Elementary School.

Notestine worked in education for 12 years prior to coming to Seymour. Most recently, she was a special education teacher for Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp.

“I chose to come to Seymour schools because I was searching for a district that would help me grow professionally as a leader,” Notestine said. “I was also searching for a district that provides the best education for our students by doing what is best for them.”

She grew up in Columbus and attended Columbus North High School, then went to the University of Indianapolis for her undergraduate elementary and special education degrees. She continued on and earned her master’s degree in administration from Ball State University.

Notestine said she likes Seymour for the small community feel and because the community has a strong focus on youth by building them up to be leaders in the community.

“This year, I am looking forward to building relationships with staff and students,” she said. “I look forward to maintaining a positive school culture to ensure our students get the best education possible.”

She said relationships are key to having success at any level, and she’s eager to work with a staff that is willing to do whatever it takes for the community and students they serve.

“I believe Seymour Community Schools fosters relationships in order to support and provide their staff with opportunities to grow,” Notestine said. “I believe in the power of growth. Education is always changing, and it is important to meet the needs of all the students.”

When not working, she enjoys vacationing at the beach and spending outdoor family time with her husband, Eric, and their son, Graham.

On July 19, the board hired Wieneke to replace Brandon Roberts, who is now the assistant principal at North Grove Elementary School in Greenwood.

Wieneke grew up in Seymour, attended Immanuel Lutheran School and is a 1991 graduate of Seymour High School. She graduated from Indiana University in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and received a master’s degree in library science from IU in 1999 and a principal’s license from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2019.

Wieneke began teaching in 1995 and was working as the coordinator for the Columbus Virtual Pathway in Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. when the assistant principal position opened up.

“I was ready to make a shift into the administration world, and Seymour had several administrator openings,” she said. “Jackson Elementary, formerly located where the sixth grade center is now, is where I did my student teaching.”

Wieneke also taught first grade at the school for two years in the late 1990s. The idea of coming back to her hometown and essentially coming full circle was very exciting to her.

“I have told several people that I have appreciated that the feel at Seymour Community Schools is comfortable but professional,” she said. “There is definitely a family feel. Seymour in general is just super kind, welcoming and friendly.”

Wieneke said she is most looking forward to really getting to know the teachers, staff and students at Jackson.

“I have been meeting individually with teachers and staff and doing my best to learn every student’s name,” she said. “Building relationships with my school family is very important to me and is at the heart of all I do.”

Students will learn and be more successful when they are in learning environments where they feel loved, respected, cared for and supported, she said.

“These learning environments are created by building positive relationships,” Wieneke said. “My goals are to support the teachers so they can support students, continue making Jackson Elementary the best place to learn and work and continue to enhance our PBIS system that encourages safe, positive behavior in our school.”

When she has the chance, she loves spending time with her family at Lutheran Lake near their home. She has been married to Kyle Wieneke for 24 years. They have two children, Evan and Marin.

Wieneke also enjoys taking golf cart rides with her two dogs, traveling, walking, eating Mexican food and visiting her parents in Tucson, Arizona.

She also is making an effort to learn some Spanish.

“It makes me sad that I can’t communicate with parents and students, and that has bothered me,” Wieneke said. “So I’ve just started very informally, but I hope to at least be able to learn some conversational Spanish because I want to be able to communicate with these families.”

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