“I like winning,” Hook, 55, said. “(the University of Iowa) was so horrible. All through the ’60s and most of the ’70s, you could count their number of wins on one hand.”
Hook’s approach to his first year as a district superintendent stems straight from lessons learned during his football days. He talks a lot about mental toughness. Since beginning on July 1, Hook is drawing from his eight years as Springboro’s assistant superintendent to aid in his transition.
“I’ve always been in a leadership role,” he said. “The people here are passionate about their schools. That makes it easy to get up in the morning and stay late.”
Carlisle Local Schools received a rating of “Effective” on the Ohio Department of Education’s 2008-09 report card. The district met 25 of 30 state requirements.
“In the two months that I’ve been here, the focus has been to dig into test data and determine where gaps are taking place,” he said. “We’ve got some pockets in the middle school we need to address.”
Hook added that fresher focus should be drawn to special education as well.
Aside from his work on the gridiron, Hook earned his bachelor’s in biology and physical education at Central Iowa. He attended grad and post-grad school at Xavier University in Cincinnati, where he earned a master’s degree in education administration. He has coached football at the high school level and held many college coaching positions, including a stint as a linebackers coach at Iowa State.
He has five children and has been married twice.
Hook’s staff has been learning to embrace the stories behind the pictures hanging on the wall in his office. Gloria Emfeld, an administrative assistant with the district, works as a secretary to Hook.
“He makes things interesting,” Imfeld said. “He gives me a hard time over the Bengals, but I think he really likes them.”
As a four-year starter and “All-Conference” his last three years with Central Iowa, Hook urges he will be a successful superintendent for the same reason he was a successful athlete.
“Mediocrity bothers me,” he said.
Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2871 or asedlak@coxohio.com.
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