Greenfield-Central takes its motto “Learning for All” seriously– so much that, for the first time in history, three doctorate-level leaders are at the helm.
Jason Cary and Devon Marine have both earned doctorate degrees this spring, successfully defending their final dissertation within just days of each other.
Dr. Cary and Dr. Marine lead the school corporation alongside Dr. Harold Olin, superintendent of the school corporation. Cary is the assistant superintendent and Marine is the director of elementary education.
But beyond the unique advantage of having three leaders in the top tier of education, teachers and professionals across the school corporation are continuing their education to serve the Greenfield community.
“Learning for All” is a big part of the culture in the GC school corporation, Olin says.
“We are fortunate in Greenfield-Central to have dedicated professionals who see the value of life-long learning in all our schools,” said Olin, who has served GC for 26 years. “We have never had three administrators with doctoral degrees serving the corporation at the same time. The timing of two professionals successfully defending their dissertations within five days of each other is remarkable and quite unusual.”
It’s a long journey to achieve a doctorate in education, and it requires coursework in leadership, curriculum, finance, personnel, school law, special education and more.
The capstone to a doctoral program is the dissertation– a deep dive into a specific topic that turns out to be hundreds of pages long.
“Dr. Cary completed some fascinating research related to the legislative process in the state of Indiana, and Dr. Marine conducted his research on superintendent efficacy in strategic planning. I am incredibly proud of both of them for their contributions to K-12 educational literature,” Olin said. “The work they have done to grow themselves through formal educational attainment has made Greenfield-Central a better place for the students and staff they serve each day.”
Cary and Marine were congratulated at the February school board meeting, and afterward said they were grateful for the people who supported and inspired them along the way.
Marine, originally from Lawrenceburg, holds a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University; a library services degree from Indiana State University; a masters degree from Nova Southeastern University; and a school administration certificate from Oakland City University.
His doctoral degree comes from the University of the Cumberlands. He has been serving GC schools for 19 years.
“Earning a top degree in my field seemed like a great challenge to take on,” Marine said. “The dissertation process in particular really showed me the experience of reviewing research. The process of reviewing the available research on challenges we face, and then analyzing the data on what actually works, will be something I continue to come back to in my professional role here at Greenfield-Cental Schools. If we can make sound, research-based decisions instead of relying on hunches, our students will benefit.”
Cary, a graduate of North Knox High School, earned bachelors and masters degrees from Indiana State University. He went on to earn an educational specialist degree and finished the coursework to earn a superintendent’s license in 2022. He will graduate this May from ISU with his PhD in educational leadership. He has served GC schools for nine years.
“It has always been a life goal of mine to complete a terminal degree, and I honestly didn’t think it would ever really happen until I was almost done with my dissertation,” Cary said. “It is just an incredible amount of work and time, and I honestly didn’t know if I had it in me to finish. But I’m so glad I did.”
Cary is grateful for both Olin and Marine, and others who encouraged him along the way.
“I certainly think having my doctorate will open some doors for me at GC, but I also think the coursework and the knowledge I gained at ISU have made me a better assistant superintendent,” Cary said. “The classes really forced me to think about education differently, and it challenged many of my beliefs about the work we do and why we do it. It is an inflection point in my life, professionally. There is before my PhD program and after. It has really had an incredible impact on how I see the world and how I see the work we do in our schools.”
In addition to the central office administrators, GC professionals are going above and beyond to explore their careers and learn more about how to educate Greenfield-Central students.
There are 22 employees that have earned their literacy endorsement, for example. That requires 40 hours of coursework and passing a test.
Other recent examples of GC employees continuing their education include Britany Meek and Jen Stewart earning a STEM certificate through the state of Indiana.
Christine Sallee recently earned an administrators license, which requires a master’s degree.
Will Bolden, Meghan Dawson and Natalie Rasi are working on administrator licenses.
Emily Milne and Laney Atwood are earning masters degrees in counseling.
Tiffany Anderson recently earned a master’s degree in English/language arts.
Dawn Sonsini is working on obtaining a doctoral degree; she is the GC director of preschool and early learning.
Jackson Williams is an instructional assistant who has started a program that will transition to teaching.
Harris Elementary Principal Sarah Greulich earned an education specialist degree. Many of GC’s principals are also graduates of the Indiana Principals Leadership Institute.
GC administrators and teachers are role models for students, especially in the area of valuing education. Greenfield-Central’s “Learning for All” culture goes hand-in-hand with the corporation’s “Profile of a Graduate.” Students are encouraged to be lifelong learners and critical thinkers; they’re taught to have high integrity and grow through teamwork, being globally conscious and having high character.
Olin said GC staff is definitely leading by example. He is proud of the staff and culture to value learning at every age and stage of life.
“We support on-going professional development for all of our staff members in Greenfield-Central schools,” Olin said. “When we have eLearning days during the school year, we offer professional development to all of our employee groups. And we definitely provide those opportunities over the summer. It is a big part of our culture in this school corporation.”
By Maribeth Vaughn
Pictured are some of the GC building administrators celebrating their colleagues becoming ‘doctors’.