Superintendent Dennis Goodwin looks like perfect fit for NRHEG
READY, WILLING AND ABLE — Dr. Dennis Goodwin has impressed the NRHEG School Board, staff and community members with his enthusiasm, energy and optimism during his short stint as Superintendent. (Star Eagle photo by Jim Lutgens)
By JIM LUTGENS
Editor/Publisher
If you’re the parent of an NRHEG student and you spend time talking with new Superintendent Dr. Dennis Goodwin, you ask yourself one question.
How did we get so lucky?
Goodwin, 55, comes to NRHEG with all the tools: a wealth of education and business experience, a genuine desire to make a difference, old-fashioned family and Christian morals that fit like a glove in this rural stretch of Southern Minnesota and, perhaps most importantly, a desire to be here and stay here.
“This is not a stepping stone for me,” said Goodwin, who was lured to New Richland after a year as superintendent in Platte, S.D.
Goodwin thought he had found a home in Platte, a town similar in size to New Richland, but once he visited here he knew differently.
“When the recruiter called, I wasn’t going to call him back,” said Goodwin. “I waited two days. My wife, Lisa, said ‘please call,’ so I did. When I came for my first interview, I really liked what I saw — very down to earth people, what I call real people, a community that sees the school as important to the community. I was very impressed with the board members and staff. I feel we really have a lot of people here that care and are passionate about kids.”
Goodwin’s family lives in Woodbury, a Twin Cities suburb, but he’s rented a townhouse in New Richland and looks forward to relocating here.
He’s energetic, enthusiastic and upbeat. He does the “Insanity Workout” five days a week. He lists his hobbies as “working,” though he enjoys the solitude of a deer stand when possible.
“As a superintendent you’re 7/24,” he said. “You’re never really done. There are issues all year at all times.”
Goodwin’s administrative assistant, Karen Gimberline, agrees he appears to be a great fit for NRHEG.
“I feel he has a great knowledge with education and families, and that’s what’s wonderful,” said Gimberline. “I think he will be a great asset to our school district.”
Until 13 years ago, Goodwin was a successful businessman seemingly living the American dream. But something happened. His first wife died. His attitude changed. Chasing dollars didn’t seem as important anymore.
“A lot of days, I didn’t want to go to work,” he said. “In the business world, there’s always pressure to go after the next dollar. Education is a totally different feeling. You can go home at night and know you’ve made an impact, rather that just making money. You can impact people personally.”
So he went into education, taking a big pay cut in the process.
He taught for 10 years in Prescott, Wis., before getting his doctorate in education — his fifth college degree — and taking the superintendent job in Platte.
Goodwin and his current wife, Lisa — also a widow — will be married 12 years in September. They each had three children when they were married, then ages 6, 12, 13, 16, 16 and 18.
“Lisa and I were both strict,” said Goodwin. “We’re their parents, not their friends. We’ve become their friends as they’ve gotten older, but first and foremost, we’re parents.”
The teen years were trying at times. Dennis and Lisa Goodwin do not believe in dating. They believe in courtship.
But, apparently, the strict approach has reaped rewards.
Goodwin’s oldest, Kyle, 30, is a nuclear engineer. Heidi, 28, is a nuclear technician. McKenzie, 18, will start college in the fall to be a radiation technician.
Lisa’s oldest, Amy, 28, is married and lives in Fort Benning, Ga. Heather, 25, manages a bridal shop in Woodbury owned by her mother. Kirsten, 24, also works at the store.
“I feel very blessed to have six kids turn out the way they have, especially when you consider that all of them lost a parent,” said Goodwin. “For them to be as successful as they are, we take a lot of pleasure in that.”
One of many Vietnamese children taken in by the family, Thu, 20, has been with the Goodwins for six years and is in pre-med at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.
“She’s just like a member of the family,” said Goodwin. “The girls refer to her as their sister. We consider her one of ours.”
Faith in God is important to Goodwin, who has two Holy Bibles in his office.
“Our children still go to church with us,” he said. “It’s an integral part of our life. You can’t do a lot of things without it.”
Goodwin grew up in Tucson, Ariz., where his parents are buried. As a kid he enjoyed baseball, football, swimming, golf and hunting, comparing his life to that of the kids in the movie “The Sandlot.” His parents were both teachers. But it wasn’t all easy. His father had a heart attack when he was young and died when Goodwin was 16. He grew up dealing with his father’s illness and he was taught respect.
“My mom was the strict one,” he said. “Respect your mother and father, without a doubt, that’s the way we were raised. You never asked ‘why?’”
It sounds like Goodwin was a baseball standout, but you won’t get him to elaborate on it. He was a catcher for the likes of former Twin John Butcher in high school and was a member of the University of Arizona baseball team, where he will tell you, “I never played a pitch.”
But the experience was invaluable and Goodwin utilized it for 19 years as a baseball coach.
Goodwin has learned he prefers a smaller, rural school district.
“I do not want the Twin Cities,” he said. “The kids’ whole attitude is different from rural kids. Rural kids are not as coddled.”
As a Minnesotan, about the only negative you can find about Goodwin is his choice of professional football teams. Yes, he’s a fan of the hated Packers and not afraid to admit it. He does, however, root for the Minnesota Twins.
Goodwin said the best advice he ever received is this: “Education is something that’s yours, and no one can ever take it away from you.”
It wasn’t a lesson learned easily though.
“In high school, I was the kid in the back of the class with a 2.7 GPA who scored a 19 on his SAT,” said Goodwin. “Between me and my two siblings, I was the lowest.”
The wakeup call came when baseball ended at Arizona.
“I realized I really had to focus,” said Goodwin.
And he did. After graduating with a 2.8 GPA for his first college degree, Goodwin pulled a 3.3 for his second. He had a 3.7 GPA for his third degree, 3.9-plus for his fourth and a 4.0 for his doctorate in education.
It taught him, “Just believe in yourself. Believe you can do whatever you want.”
What does Goodwin want the people of NRHEG to know about him?
“That I’ll do my very best for this district, particularly for the kids,” he said. “I’ll fight to help prepare them for whatever they want to do to be successful in life.”