July 30, 2019 at 4:28 p.m.
Heading south
Longtime Starfire moving to Texas
Heading south
By Rose Skelly-
It’s the end of an era for South Adams Schools’ superintendent.
Scott Litwiller, whose last day on the job is Wednesday, has been involved with the school system in one way or another for most of his life — first as a student, then a teacher and principal, and finally as superintendent for almost a decade.
Litwiller, who stepped into the role of superintendent at South Adams in 2010, is retiring at the end of this month from public education.
The Berne native and his wife, Sheri, will be moving to Brownsville, Texas, to take positions at Valley Christian High School. The city is located in the southernmost part of Texas at the border with Mexico.
The decision was a long time coming. About 20 years ago, Litwiller took a one-year leave of absence from South Adams and moved to Caracas, Venezuela, with his family to work at a Christian international school.
“When we came back, we just always thought that we would like to do that again,” Litwiller said.
The couple’s three sons have all graduated college now, Litwiller said, and the timing was finally right for the move.
“I’d say I really think that God opened doors up to head to Texas, so that’s what we’re going to do,” he said.
Litwiller will be part of the administration at Valley Christian.
Scott Litwiller, whose last day on the job is Wednesday, has been involved with the school system in one way or another for most of his life — first as a student, then a teacher and principal, and finally as superintendent for almost a decade.
Litwiller, who stepped into the role of superintendent at South Adams in 2010, is retiring at the end of this month from public education.
The Berne native and his wife, Sheri, will be moving to Brownsville, Texas, to take positions at Valley Christian High School. The city is located in the southernmost part of Texas at the border with Mexico.
The decision was a long time coming. About 20 years ago, Litwiller took a one-year leave of absence from South Adams and moved to Caracas, Venezuela, with his family to work at a Christian international school.
“When we came back, we just always thought that we would like to do that again,” Litwiller said.
The couple’s three sons have all graduated college now, Litwiller said, and the timing was finally right for the move.
“I’d say I really think that God opened doors up to head to Texas, so that’s what we’re going to do,” he said.
Litwiller will be part of the administration at Valley Christian.
Sheri, who taught middle school and was the high ability coordinator at Adams Central Schools, will be a member of the leadership team at the school and will teach part-time.
The couple is leaving Indiana during the first week of August. Valley Christian’s school year begins Aug. 13.
Litwiller grew up on a dairy farm in Berne and attended South Adams Schools from kindergarten until he graduated in 1982. He studied for two years at Chicago’s Moody Bible Institute — where he and Sheri met — before completing his degree in elementary education at Fort Wayne Bible College.
He taught in Pendleton and Bluffton for a few years before becoming a fifth grade teacher at the now-closed South Adams Middle School in Geneva. He became the middle school’s principal in 1995 and then was the elementary school principal for a year when South Adams consolidated its schools to one campus in 2009.
In 2010, Litwiller was hired as the interim superintendent of South Adams. The position became permanent in 2011.
During his tenure, he’s overseen the renovation of the high school, received several four-star awards for the schools and saw the high school designated as a National Blue Ribbon School in 2015.
“Not too many schools can say that,” Litwiller said. “That is a proud moment.”
The decision to leave South Adams was not an easy one, Litwiller said. His favorite aspect of the superintendent job was connecting with people, and he’ll miss those relationships when he moves 1,500 miles away.
“When you’re here almost 30 years, you build relationships with people and you get to know them, you get to know their families,” Litwiller said. “You celebrate with them in the good times and you cry with them in the times of sorrow, when things are kind of rough, but all in all very good memories.”
Mike Pettibone, who was superintendent of Adams Central Schools before retiring in 2013, will be the interim superintendent at South Adams. His contract, approved earlier this month by South Adams School Board, is from Aug. 1 to Dec. 31.
Litwiller expressed thanks to the South Adams board members, administration, teachers and staff for their support over his career at the school.
“Here at South Adams we talk about how we’re in the business of growing people, and we usually refer to growing students,” Litwiller said. “But we also, the adults that work here, go through some growth. And I feel like I’ve grown from my experience here as an employee at South Adams.”
The couple is leaving Indiana during the first week of August. Valley Christian’s school year begins Aug. 13.
Litwiller grew up on a dairy farm in Berne and attended South Adams Schools from kindergarten until he graduated in 1982. He studied for two years at Chicago’s Moody Bible Institute — where he and Sheri met — before completing his degree in elementary education at Fort Wayne Bible College.
He taught in Pendleton and Bluffton for a few years before becoming a fifth grade teacher at the now-closed South Adams Middle School in Geneva. He became the middle school’s principal in 1995 and then was the elementary school principal for a year when South Adams consolidated its schools to one campus in 2009.
In 2010, Litwiller was hired as the interim superintendent of South Adams. The position became permanent in 2011.
During his tenure, he’s overseen the renovation of the high school, received several four-star awards for the schools and saw the high school designated as a National Blue Ribbon School in 2015.
“Not too many schools can say that,” Litwiller said. “That is a proud moment.”
The decision to leave South Adams was not an easy one, Litwiller said. His favorite aspect of the superintendent job was connecting with people, and he’ll miss those relationships when he moves 1,500 miles away.
“When you’re here almost 30 years, you build relationships with people and you get to know them, you get to know their families,” Litwiller said. “You celebrate with them in the good times and you cry with them in the times of sorrow, when things are kind of rough, but all in all very good memories.”
Mike Pettibone, who was superintendent of Adams Central Schools before retiring in 2013, will be the interim superintendent at South Adams. His contract, approved earlier this month by South Adams School Board, is from Aug. 1 to Dec. 31.
Litwiller expressed thanks to the South Adams board members, administration, teachers and staff for their support over his career at the school.
“Here at South Adams we talk about how we’re in the business of growing people, and we usually refer to growing students,” Litwiller said. “But we also, the adults that work here, go through some growth. And I feel like I’ve grown from my experience here as an employee at South Adams.”
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