Principal Wes Weaver leaving Licking Valley, joining ex-superintendent at Vermilion
HANOVER — Wes Weaver's plan for eventual retirement in the south, has suddenly taken a detour to the north.
Licking Valley High School's principal for the past 15 years has decided to stay with longtime boss Dave Hile, who will take over as superintendent at Vermilion on Lake Erie, and become his new assistant superintendent in the fall.
"I was able to talk Wes out of going to Florida," Hile said. "Him and I will get a lot accomplished up there, just like we did here. In my opinion, Wes is the best high school principal in Ohio. He's not only an incredible instructional leader, which you have to be, but also an organizational leader, and to be able to successfully combine both of those traits in a principal is pretty rare."
"It's a surprise opportunity," Weaver said. "My wife Cheryl and I had been intent on moving down south. She had always wanted to retire there, and I was looking at still being an administrator with her finding a job in her specialty (she's a social worker/mental health specialist at Hebron Elementary). Now, she'll be able to work with students at Vermilion. I think both jobs are a little better for us. I'm really, really excited."
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Weaver and family have a lot of history in the Valley district. His dad, Bill, was principal at Toboso Elementary for 28 years and also taught at the high school. Wes was assistant principal at Utica for two years, before returning to Valley as an English teacher for 10 years, also serving as building computer coordinator. "He was at Valley when I got there, and I hired him to be principal when I became superintendent," Hile said.
Since he's been principal, Weaver has been very proud of what he and the staff have accomplished.
"It's taken a lot of hard work, innovation and dedication, by everyone here," he said. "We've gone along with a tremendous pace of change. We've been interviewing new teaching prospects, and we routinely get teachers who have Licking Valley at the top of their list. They've heard great things and it's where they want to be. It's a destination."
Hile said 229 students are on the current waiting list to attend Valley. He said Standards Based Grading, implemented by Weaver at the high school level, is a big drawing card for teachers and students. It provides "learning targets" in each subject, and students are rated from 1 to 4 on how they are progressing, instead of relying on just a letter grade.
"It usually starts at the elementary level, and he worked to start it at the high school," Hile said. "He led that effort. We started to use it in the classroom, with the class we teach together, and he expanded it to the entire high school, then the middle school and elementary. He's known across the state as the principal who implemented Standards Based Grading, and others have come here to see how it's done."
Hile said Weaver transformed the high school with the way he has led it. "He led it every single day, and he did it the right way," he said. "He would say, 'let's try this' with his staff, rather than just imposing an idea, and if they liked it, they would continue it, and it would expand. He's exceptional. An exceptional instructional leader, exceptional leader of educators, and an exceptional colleague and friend."
Weaver is looking forward to continuing his work with Hile at Vermilion.
"It's an opportunity to do a lot of the same work Dave and I have accomplished here, along with the staff," he said. "We know each other, and we've worked well together. We have a lot of the same mindsets. I love working for Dave, and his values and mine on education have always aligned."
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Licking Valley: Principal Wes Weaver leaving to join Hile at Vermilion
