June 9, 2022 - The Rochester CUSD #3a Board of Education is pleased to announce the hire of Mr. David Hawkins as the new assistant principal at Rochester High School (RHS). In a unanimous decision, Mr. Hawkins was approved to take over his new role beginning in July. Mr. Hawkins began his teaching career at Springfield Lanphier High School before joining the Rockets in 2014 as an ELA teacher at RHS. Superintendent Dan Cox said, “After a rigorous and competitive interview process, Mr. Hawkins stood out as a rising star who will be an excellent leader at RHS.” Cox continued, “Mr. Hawkins possesses strong leadership skills such as being a good communicator, being visible throughout the school. He will be a collaborative leader who will help ensure the teachers, staff, and families work together to maximize the success of our students at RHS.” On Hawkins’ hire, RHS Principal Brent Ashbaugh said, “We are very excited to have Mr. Hawkins join the administrative team at Rochester High School. His leadership skills and ability to work with teachers, staff, and parents will help us to prepare our students for their futures. ”
Hawkins first step is his new role will be to gather perspectives from teachers and staff about how they can work together to create an environment that will best help students succeed. Reflecting on his new role as assistant principal Hawkins shared, "Rochester's long tradition of excellence has been ingrained in me since I began my academic journey at Rochester Elementary School in 1991. It is my honor and privilege to serve such an excellent community and school district. Throughout my time as a student, community member, parent, and teacher at Rochester I've focused on being engaging, an effective and efficient communicator, and a visible presence. As the assistant principal, these are values that I will continue to prioritize. I look forward to serving and giving back to the school and community that has given me and my family so much."
Mr. Hawkins is a graduate of both Eastern Illinois University and The University of Illinois at Springfield. Beginning his career in education at Lanphier High School, Hawkins has served as a teacher, coach, and mentor at Rochester High School. His wife, Megan, is a driver’s education and health teacher at Rochester High School. They have two children, Cal and Mae.
In other business conducted by the Board, the Board utilized the remainder of the special meeting as a study session to begin planning and developing the District’s next strategic plan. During the study session, the Board began the work to identify District values and professional operating norms. School Board President, Dr. Christie Magoulias, stated “The District and its stakeholders need direction as we emerge from the pandemic and it is simply time to reflect on what we do, how we can be better, and what it will take to get there, with the end goal always on the best educational experience for our students.”
The next regular meeting of the Board of Education will be held Thursday, July 21, 2022 at 6:30 p.m.