From a stint in Off-Broadway theatre after college to currently working toward making Portage Township Schools nationally known for their excellence, this week's Portage Life in the Spotlight, Superintendent Dr. Richard Weigel, proves that he's no stranger to dreaming big.
"I'd like to think I'm a very creative person," Weigel said. "I can bring leadership to help in different places, sometimes thinking outside the box and being able to help others."
His leadership has indeed brought him to different places. Through teaching, Weigel has been able to help youths in Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, New York, Nebraska and Indiana. Now, he is in Portage to try to bring his magic touch to the school system here.
Weigel believes in Portage so much that he is investing in the city not only with his career, but his personal life as well. He and his wife are already looking at buying a house in the area.
"You know the old saying, 'Jump in with both feet'?" Weigel asked. "That's what I'm doing. I'm jumping into the community with both feet."
Weigel has been active in the community, finding pleasure in Johnson's fruit market and the University Center and keeping busy by meeting the mayor, police and chamber of commerce, among others.
"What I like is I'm meeting the people who are all working together to make this a better place for everybody," Weigel said. "And that's what I like: people aren't sitting back and going, 'Well, wait.' No, people are jumping in and doing something. I really like that."
Although Weigel now devotes his time to improving school systems, his career did not begin in education. For his first college degree, he attended the Jacob's School of Music at Indiana University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Music and Theatre. Then, he graduated from the University of Nebraska with a Master of Music in Performance and Directing.
Weigel, who sings and plays piano, took advantage of his degrees in music to perform at Cedar Point and the Wagon Wheel Playhouse in Warsaw, eventually working his way up to Off-Broadway shows.
"I did whatever I could do to make some money," Weigel said. "[I] loved to sing and loved to perform."
While he lived in New York, Weigel also gained experience as a computer programmer for the investment company Goldman Sachs, which he admits has helped him to better understand technology.
"Everything we look at or we do in technology, somebody wrote that someplace down the line," Weigel said. "You see it, you understand how it was put together. The things that we now use are not as complex because you see how they were put together originally."
Eventually, Weigel's career led him toward the education field. It was Weigel's mother, an educator herself, who first suggested Weigel would be good as a teacher. He began as a substitute and now holds a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Curriculum, both from Eastern Michigan University.
"I really enjoyed it," Weigel said. "I enjoyed being with students, I enjoyed the opportunity to help other people help students to see themselves as highly successful, not only in the now, but in the future."
Since then, he has worked as a music teacher, English teacher, assistant principal, high school principal, elementary school principal, director of curriculum, assistant superintendent and superintendent.
"When we think about growth, we grow as human beings because we have a desire to become more proficient or better at what we do, so over time I've taken on different roles in order to become more qualified, to become more capable of doing what needs to be done so I can help more people," Weigel said. "I like education because I can help others."
Because he has moved up to more expansive positions through time, Weigel is able to broaden his reach as an educator. Weigel's servant leadership approach style works better when he can interact with more people and understand how he can assist each one of the.
"In the concept of servant leadership, your concept is built around the idea of helping others, so the influence is not a matter of anything other than, 'How can I help on a greater level?' and each different piece has provided me an opportunity to help people and maybe have enough depth and insights to help more people," Weigel explained.
As a superintendent, Weigel can spread his impact to an entire district, and he intends to make the most of his position.
Since he has only held the position in Portage for a couple months, his exact goals for the school system are still up in the air.
"We've got so many good things going on that you don't come in and try to make changes; you try to build a foundation underneath people that are already doing great things," Weigel said.
When he is out and about in the schools, Weigel carries around a notebook that he uses to write down ideas and teachers' concerns to mull over later.
"I've said that this year is a year of my learning," Weigel said. "I want to listen, I want to learn, I want to spend time with people."
In return for listening to the wishes of the community, Weigel hopes he can help that community to invest in their students and schools.
"It takes a community to raise a child. It takes a community to believe in your students," Weigel said. "I would like to have the community being so supportive of our students that they're... encouraging our students on a consistent basis, because the more that our students feel that the community is behind them."
And there is more than one way for people to encourage children. College is an option for many students, but Weigel also believes in promoting the high school's vocational programs and the opportunities they provide who are not suited for a university.
For Weigel, the ultimate plan is to make the Portage Township Schools recognized on a national level. That vision is clear to Weigel, and he would like to spread it throughout the district.
Thankfully, Weigel has found the educators of Portage are eager and willing to help achieve this goal.
"I will say that I truly enjoy the professionalism of the staff of Portage Township Schools," Weigel said. "As I talk to different people, they are so professional in the way they approach our responsibilities in education. That is very encouraging and I love being around them because they are such consistent professionals."
When not working to improve the Portage Township Schools, Weigel enjoys spending time with his family. He and his wife have been married for about 35 years, and they have three children: a daughter who went to Purdue and is now a teacher at a South Bend alternative school, a daughter who also attended Purdue and works as a materials science engineer, and a son who is beginning his junior year of high school.
According to Weigel, his children influence the way he make decisions for the students the school system at which he administrates.
"They help you as a teacher and as an educator to see the other students from a viewpoint of they're like your own kids: you care about them deeply and you want the best for them," Weigel said.
And of course, it works both ways. Weigel knows that, even years after the completion of their formal education, his grown children still have room to learn.
"Education is a journey; it's not a destination," Weigel said.