It’s just after 8 a.m. at Sprunica Elementary School and Principal Abbie Oliver is making the morning announcements.
“Just a reminder to all students, we have lots of fun things going on at Sprunica the last few days. It is very, very important to keep your behavior in check so that you can participate in all the fun activities,” she says.
It’s the last Wednesday of the school year. Students have been in school for 177 days. “Let’s make it a fantastic hump day at Sprunica Elementary, and remember, pursue your personal best today,” she says.
For Oliver, the end of this school year will be the 12th and final one she has served as principal at this elementary in Hamblen Township.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Over the summer, she will transition to serving as principal of Pleasant Crossing Elementary School in the Clark-Pleasant School District.
The decision to leave was not an easy one, Oliver says, walking outside along the building. She stops to wave at a parent leaving the parking lot.
“I can tell you it’s the hardest decision professionally I’ve ever made in my life. It’s one of those things, this might sound a little cliché, but there’s no other way to put it than it was a complete God thing,” she said.
“I was not out looking for a job. I had not applied for a job, and it kind of found me.”
When she was asked to consider going through the interview process, Oliver declined at first.
“My husband said the greatest thing to me that really resonated with me. He said, ‘What would you tell every single person that you work with or that you try to help? You gotta go check it out. You have to take a risk and check it out.’
“I’m like, ‘Grrr. I hate it when he’s right,’ But he was. So, I did,” she said.
“… I love the district and I absolutely adore Sprunica, the people, the staff, the parents. I mean, I’ve been overwhelmed with kindness the last few days from people. It is definitely the best way to put it is bittersweet.”
“It was beyond a tough decision.”
Leader, not a boss
Oliver said most of the teachers were shocked when she shared her news. Second-grade teacher Jaida Goldberg was one of them.
“We all know that at some time, good teams, they split apart, but it’s when you least expect it. She did it in a very professional way. No one knew. There was no rumors going on, no rumors whatsoever. We all knew at the exact same time,” she said.
Second-grade teacher Alyse Johnson said the staff knew this day would eventually come after Oliver earned her doctorate degree.
“We’re super proud of her. We know she’s going to do awesome stuff,” she said. “She’s left such a legacy that’s going to continue and we’re a strong staff. We’ll pull together as a group and still accomplish everything.”
Johnson said Oliver inspired her to pursue her own master’s degree. “She’s just amazing. She’s such a strong leader, a role model,” Johnson said.
Goldberg agreed. “She just drives her staff to be their best and reminds all of us that she knows we’re doing our best. She has trust in us. Beyond that, she is an incredible friend. … I think she sometimes believes in me more than I even believe in myself. That’s for all of us.”
“She’s really good at tapping you on the shoulder and saying ‘Hey, I think you’re really going to be great at this. You have these qualities,’” Johnson added.
Fourth-grade teacher Sarah Roberts said her initial reaction was sadness, but she’s proud and excited for her friend.
“She has pushed me in so many avenues that I knew it was coming in order for her to grow in the way she would like to grow in her professional life,” she said.
Fourth-grade teacher Rhonda Van Winkle said if she had to describe Oliver using a single word it would be “outstanding.”
“She treats all of us here like the professionals that we’re said to be, and I don’t think you get that from everyone,” she said.
“She listens to your ideas and makes you feel valued. … She’s a leader, not a boss. She doesn’t dictate what you do. You decide together what’s in the best interest of the students.”
Oliver told her staff that doesn’t have to change with new leadership. “That’s what I have told everyone who has expressed sorrow or sadness that it will be OK,” she said. “Someone else will come in here and Sprunica will still be great.”
On May 31, Superintendent Laura Hammack announced that Brown County High School Principal Shane Killinger would be taking over as principal at Sprunica.
Killinger had started his career as a principal at Sprunica before transferring to Brown County Junior High School for the 2004-2005 school year.
Teamwork
Creating a certain culture in the building has led to many successes, such as Sprunica being named a Four Star School by the state and receiving the National Blue Ribbon award, Oliver said.
She couldn’t have done it without her team, the staff she calls family.
“When your climate and culture is in check, the rest can fall in place, but climate and culture is something you have to groom every single day,” she said.
She said she often “sets up shop” in classrooms to work on her computer.
“I’d rather be in a classroom doing the stuff I need to do and just taking in what’s happening,” she said. “I feel like that has helped bridge that comfort of, ‘I’m not here as a principal to get anyone.’ My job is to coach and see things in them and push them and all those good things to be even better. I’ve tried really hard to never offer the model of, ‘I am here just to get data.’ No, I’m here to help.”
The community is another major player in the school’s success.
“I have a woman who calls me a couple of times a year and says, ‘Hey, Dr. Oliver, it’s the hat lady. Tell me how many hats you need for winter to keep those little heads warm,’” she said.
Before becoming principal at Sprunica, Oliver served as assistant principal at Brown County High School for three years.
“A lot of the kids I have here, a lot of their parents I had at the high school. It is really neat. My children play with their children and I know all of them,” she said.
She taught seventh- and eighth-grade special education in Center Grove after graduating from college
“I’ve not had a bad stop along my whole journey,” she said.
“I never dreamed I’d even stay here (Sprunica) that long (12 years) just because I am a person, my staff will tell you, that I happen to like change. I think it’s fair to say I’ve taught a few of them to embrace it, because when we had an opening this year I had five people come to me just like that and say, ‘Put me where you need me,’ which is incredible.”
Oliver said the “little community” that has grown at Sprunica is a big reason why she’s stayed.
“I truly can walk into any classroom at any time and be proud of what they’re teaching and what they’re doing, peppering in the right amount of fun, just good common sense. I am so grateful for that,” she said.
“I truly feel like at this point I am not a building manager, I am an instructional leader. That’s fun.”
Her Sprunica family will miss her, too.
Fourth-grader Cash Harden said he couldn’t describe how he felt about Oliver using words, but that he had a bond with the principal he has known since kindergarten. He describes her as “kind, giving, funny, really nice.”
“Brave. She’ll stand up for people about stuff, like if a kid is going through a tough time, she’ll stand up for him or her,” he said.
Fourth-grader Morgan Osborn said she was sad when she found out Oliver was leaving. She said her principal is “awesome.”
“She does cool things with us,” she said.
Parent Jenise Bohbrink volunteers at Sprunica twice a week.
“When I saw she was leaving I thought, ‘Oh, no.’ She’s awesome,” she said.
“She’s there every morning to greet the kids, to greet the parents. It’s a motherly kind of welcome to all ages. … The kids constantly feel like they are loved.”
Bohbrink said the next principal has “big shoes to fill.”
“It’s an awesome environment. When you walk into the school, everybody gets along. You don’t feel tension. The teachers are happy, the teachers are having fun and the kids are having fun. From my experience, that comes from the top down.”
Oliver said she looks forward to just being a mom in the district and not an administrator, and being able to watch school events instead of working them. Her husband, Ryan, will work at Brown County Junior High School next year.
“Our children will remain here at Sprunica. I will just be a mom around the community. I adore Brown County. We built a house here. … I love it, but I am really excited to be a mom,” she said.
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Abbie Oliver announced her resignation as principal of Sprunica Elementary School before Memorial Day weekend. She has accepted the principal job at Pleasant Crossing Elementary School in the Clark-Pleasant school district.
That same weekend, Brown County High School Principal Shane Killinger expressed interest in the job at Sprunica, Superintendent Laura Hammack said in a letter to parents. That’s the school where his career as a principal began.
Another principal is coming “home” as well. Former BCHS Principal Matt Stark will return to his old job. He had left the district in 2013 for a principal job in Urbana, Illinois.
Hammack expects the school board to approve these transfers at its next meeting on Thursday, June 7.
More information about the other changes will be printed later in June.
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Sprunica Elementary School Principal Abbie Oliver has made many memories over her 12 years at the elementary school.
Oliver was principal while she was pregnant with her two children, Ellie and Walker. Both times, the Sprunica students voted on each of their names. They even hosted a school-wide baby showers for her.
Ellie, though, was not the students’ first name pick for a girl. It was Sparkle.
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