Windham – This fall, when students return to school at Windham Exempted Junior/ Senior High School, there will be a new face behind the principal’s desk. The district welcomed Justin Christopher back to Windham. Christopher is a Windham alum and has taken over the principal’s position effective August 1, 2019.
Christopher is not new to Windham; besides being a 1992 graduate of the district, he has been a football and track coach in recent times as well. Christopher coached varsity football and junior high track from 2000-2005, which he thoroughly enjoyed. Coaching sparked his interest in education, which eventually led him to administrative work.
Christopher worked in the construction industry right out of high school and attended Kent State University (KSU). He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Technology and a minor in Education. He later went back to KSU and received a Master’s degree in Curriculum Evaluation and Measurement and further went on to receive a Master’s degree in School Administration from Dayton University.
In 2006, he was encouraged to pursue an opening for a long-term substitute position at Tallmadge City Schools (TCS), as an Industrial Technology Instructor. He was substituting for someone who was on a medical leave. That person decided to retire, giving Christopher the opportunity for full- time employment at TCS. He taught Industrial Technology Classes to 9th -12th grades for five years and Pre-Engineering STEM classes to 6th – 8th grades for ten years. In addition he taught various classes during his 12 ½ years there and instituted many programs.
Later in his career, he started taking on administrative duties at TCS. Before too long, he was splitting his day in half between teaching and administrative duties. During Christopher’s time there, he developed a robotics program and introduced the Soap Box Derby Gravity Racing Challenge Program. Christopher’s robotics team competed in, and won many awards at local, state and national competitions. His soap box derby program had produced several students winning their local races.
Christopher has an incredible track record of successfully instituting new programs. He also has earned several awards while at TCS, including starting STEM Programs. Currently, that program is one of the premier programs in the state of Ohio and is used as a model for many schools.
Justin has received many accolades for his work as well. One such award was from the International Technology Education and Engineering Association’s Program of Excellence Award. He also has written grants that helped fund their STEM program. He was able to secure thousands of dollars in grant funding for implementing “Project Lead the Way” STEM initiatives while at TCS.
Christopher loved TCS and never really intended to leave there, but he also knew that if he wanted to work in administration long- term, he would have to leave Tallmadge to do so. In 2018, he took a job in Newton Falls as the Junior/Senior High School assistant principal and was successful at implementing Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) to help improve students’ social and emotional learning while also promoting good behavior. While there, he learned of the principal opening at Windham Schools, so he applied and was offered the position.
Christopher says, “Windham School District has had my heart and when I saw an opening for the position, I had to jump on it.” Christopher has no immediate plans to change anything. He first wants to evaluate the school culture and climate before making any changes. He hopes he can expand and enhance the district’s existing STEM program and robotics team. He eventually would like to see a Soap Box Derby Gravity Racing Challenge Team there as well.
Christopher hopes he can use his connections to potentially add “Project Lead the Way” to the already existing STEM program in the district. The involvement with ”Project Lead the Way” will offer more opportunities for STEM competitions, making the team more competitive. He also would like to expand the current PBIS program in due time.
Christopher is excited to be here and can’t wait for school to resume in the Fall and meet the students. He currently resides in Diamond, with his wife Kelli (1995 Windham Alum) and two daughters, Meghan (a nursing student at Toledo University) and Molly (an 8th grader).
