The Board of Education voted on Thursday, Feb. 5, to approve the appointment of Dr. Steve Hankins as MHS’s new associate principal. Dr. Hankins, currently an assistant principal at Fort Zumwalt South High School, will take over the position from interim Associate Principal Lisa Kaczmarczyk in July.

Dr. Hankins said he applied for the position for the opportunity to grow professionally and return to MHS, where he worked for eight years as a teacher, coach and administrator.

“It’s a different role than I’m currently in and having been in Rockwood before I know how great of a district it is,” Dr. Hankins said. “Obviously, being at Marquette before I love that school, so you couldn’t ask for really a better combination.”

Before Dr. Hankins takes over this summer, he said Kaczmarczyk will help him transition into the structure of MHS and any new roles he’ll take on.

“The overall role as an administrator in general is just to help the teachers and the school move forward and so in that essence, that role doesn’t change I just hope that I have a bigger impact on which direction we go,” Dr. Hankins said.

Kaczmarczyk both taught Dr. Hankins and worked with him when he was an MHS teacher and principal. She said he was able to form positive long-lasting relationships with students and worked to develop a stronger social studies curriculum.

“He’s a fabulous instructional leader and loves kids and he is a Mustang, so it’s good to welcome him back home,” Kaczmarczyk said.

Principal Dr. Greg Mathison oversaw the hiring process through multiple rounds of interviews before Superintendent Dr. Eric Knost recommended Dr. Hankins to the Board. He said the process was made very difficult by the large amount of qualified candidates that applied.

Like Kaczmarczyk, Dr. Mathison worked with Dr. Hankins as an assistant principal and said he will make a great fit for the job.

“[There’s] a lot of trust and respect throughout our community about Dr. Hankins,” Dr. Mathison said. “Working with him as a colleague, he’s a guy that would have your back and somebody that is able to have honest, tough conversations and I think that’s what makes a good administrator.”

Overall, Dr. Hankins said his favorite part about being an administrator is working with students.

“I love working with teenagers,” Dr. Hankins said. “You just build meaningful relationships with them and you can have meaningful conversations.”