Kent ISD — At the Kent Career Tech Center’s open house, Craig Weigel often prefaced his conversation with parents and students with “I’m just the new guy …”
The ease with which he answered questions, provided directions and chatted with parents and students gave no indication that he took over the role of the Tech Center’s principal less than two months ago.
During that time, Weigel said he has been a sponge, learning all he could about the Tech Center and its programs, meeting with instructors and staff, and now through the open house connecting with students and parents.
“I’m just excited about seeing this programming directly impact kids in real time,” he said. “I have heard about KCTC from my own students at East (Grand Rapids High School) and how much of an impact it has been for them. But to really see it firsthand and experience it, and to have some role in helping our instructors make that difference for kids, that’s what’s motivating.”
Why did you want to come to the Kent Career Tech Center? Weigel said he saw what a powerful experience the Tech Center was for those students who attended.
“In some cases, (it was) a life-changing experience for them, finding out things about themselves and about their interests and abilities that they wouldn’t have gained elsewhere. So to have an opportunity to play a part in helping students navigate through life, and find that passion for something and receive amazing training and education around that, it’s something that I was eager to be a part of.”
So why did you decide to enter into education? Weigel said he started at Adrian College studying biology with plans to attend graduate school for physical therapy. While at Adrian, he said, “I was asked to coach basketball for the American Youth Basketball Association one summer for a bunch of seventh- and eighth-grade students, and I fell in love with coaching. I loved the interaction with students. I love the connection that we made in that coach/student athlete relationship and it just flipped a switch like, ‘This is what I need to do.’ So (back at school) I registered to move into a teacher education program at the secondary level and it was a wonderful decision.”
What is your education background? Weigel has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Adrian College and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Florida Gulf Coast University. He started his education career teaching biology at Zeeland High School (before the district had two high schools). He was a teacher and athletic director at Florida’s Fort Myers High School, and came back to West Michigan in 2010 to serve as the assistant principal at East Grand Rapids High School. He then was principal at East Grand Rapids’ Lakeside Elementary before serving the last seven years as the high school principal.
Are you from West Michigan? Weigel was born in New Jersey and lived in Ohio, but since the second grade he has lived in West Michigan and is a West Ottawa High School alum.
Have you ever visited the Tech Center before? “I’ve been out here for some tours and professional development. My oldest son just navigated through the Launch U program here, and so he will be entering into that 13th year with GRCC this coming fall. He had a really positive experience navigating through that.”
So what do you look forward to most being here at the Tech Center? “I’m really excited about learning in depth what type of programming is really available to our students. And so I’m excited about that opportunity this year to really invest in our instructors and our staff, understanding all the different ways they impact students. (Also) learning from our students’ perspective what it is that they really gain out of this experience, and how that sets them up for their next step in life.”
Anything you are really excited about that you have seen at the Tech Center? Weigel said he has met with some of the instructors, was able to check out new forensics equipment and learn about the tiny homes project in construction. That is just the “tip of the iceberg” of things happening at the Tech Center, he said.
What would you like to share about your family? Weigel’s wife, Carmen, is a business teacher and testing coordinator at East Grand Rapids High School. The couple has three sons: Caden, who is at Launch U; Colten, a sophomore at East Grand Rapids; and Cooper, a sixth-grader at East Grand Rapids Middle. The family also has a dog, Coco, of whom Weigel noted, “You can’t not have a C name for your dog when your family all has C names.”
What are some of your hobbies or interests? “My family loves to camp outside. We are pretty active that way, biking and playing games.”
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