FIRST DAY - Superintendent Mike Meihak addresses NRHEG teachers and staff during their first staff day on August 30, 2021.
Star Eagle photo by Deb Bently
By DEB BENTLY
Staff Writer
At 6’5”, NRHEG’s new superintendent Mike Meihak could be an imposing fellow—if he weren’t so friendly and didn’t have such a welcoming smile.
A middle school principal for the Faribault school system for the past 7 years, Meihak began his position with NRHEG on July 1. He has been an educator for 27 years, beginning as a social studies teacher for seven years and then a principal for 12 in the nearby Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton (JWP) school district, where he and his wife, Sara, still reside with two of his four children. In 2011, with nearly 20 years in education accomplished, he and his family decided to try something new: He took a position as a “school renewal specialist” for the Hawaii Department of Education for a year. Upon returning to Minnesota he became a principal at Yellow Medicine East in the northern part of the state before taking the position in Faribault. In the meantime, he continued his own education, gradually acquiring the qualifications to be a superintendent.
NRHEG selected him this past spring after receiving the news that Dale Carlson, who had been superintendent for the district for the past 6 years, was retiring.
“I felt this way from the beginning and now even more since taking office,” says Meihak. “NRHEG is absolutely the right setting for me. A smaller district like this one is where I fit in and can make strong contributions.”
Meihak explains that the “paychecks you can’t cash” are just as important to him as the more traditional type. “Those relationships and connections that we make as educators are what make the job rewarding,” he says. “I’m grateful to be in a setting where I can still get to know the students and their families.”
NRHEG Board of Education chair Rick Schultz, who served on the committee which helped select Meihak, comments that the school board remains very pleased with its choice. “During his first 60 days in the District, I have found him to be a dedicated listener, an organized worker, and a sincere decision maker,” says Schultz, who goes on to observe that Meihak’s energy and enthusiasm will be very beneficial as the district works toward its goal of becoming a “district of choice” for families in the region.
Meihak mentions that the NRHEG district has many strengths, including its recent construction, its strong use of technology, and its dedicated staff. He feels that he has had the opportunity to step in partway through a number of positive projects, including the acquisition of “interventionist” positions to help students who are falling behind, work on getting a new electronic sign in front of the secondary school, and the new bleachers due to be installed in the main gym in November. Under his leadership, the secondary site’s media center is receiving a “facelift” to make it more inviting.
Asked about his plans as he “steers the district in the direction chosen by the community and the school board,” Meihak smiles. “I guess my job is to build on the positives that already exist at NRHEG,” he says. “No one has given me the secrets to success; I would say I’m going to learn everything I can about the district’s strengths while looking for any areas that will benefit from improvement. For those, I will work with others to develop a plan which will make them better.”
One particularly immediate concern, Meihak observes, is working to recover from the time and learning lost to the pandemic. “There is definitely some rebuilding to do,” he says. “We have to provide the resources students need to reconnect to the learning process. We want to strengthen students’ confidence and pride, so they feel a commitment to keep moving forward, even if there are some bumps in the road.”
Meihak feels an important element of that process is providing a sense of shared community; one step is to show students they are part of a vibrant, growing environment.
For anyone who questions the abilities of a “rookie,” Meihak admits that he faces a learning curve. He mentions that he is grateful for the support and assistance he is already receiving from the experienced administrative staff at the school who can offer important guidance. Besides that, “I’m a good, hard worker willing to establish and prove myself,” he says. “I’m here for the right reasons—the benefit of NRHEG’s students and the district.
“I want the community and the students to see that good things are happening and will continue to happen.”
Since many elements of school administration can be controversial, Meihak acknowledges that not everyone will agree with every decision. “But I want to make sure they can respect the process that led to the decision; I value the commodity that our students represent to the NRHEG community, and I will place them at the center of every initiative.”
For anyone with doubts, Meihak’s disarming smile is only one of the ways he hopes to open communications. “People with questions will find an open door, a listening ear, and respect for their viewpoints,” he says.