Medler steps up at EJMS

Fred Medler isn’t one to sit back when a leader needs to step forward.
As the newly appointed principal of East Jay Middle School, he plans to take the skills he’s learned in his years as assistant principal and Jay County High School volleyball coach into his new role.
“It’s kind of been a growth process, that I’ve always been one to try to accept leadership roles,” said Medler of his transition from middle school math teacher to assistant principal to now principal. “I didn’t know that I ever wanted to leave the classroom, but getting older and getting closer to the last 10 years of my career anyway, this kind of fits me so that’s what I decided to do.”
It’s his goal over the next year to keep the school at the high level it’s sustained over the past few years as an A-rated school, earning a 4-star commendation last year. Medler especially wants to work with teachers on improving test scores in English, which has a history of weaker results compared to math at the middle school. But it won’t come without its challenges.
Medler expects obstacles with the recent legislation surrounding Common Core and the shuffling of staff, but he’s ready to put in the time and effort to keep moving forward.
“What we do now in this year is take what we already know that’s working and try to make those small improvements to kind of keep it up,” said Medler. “We don’t want it to stop. We don’t want it to start rolling the other way. We want to keep it going the way we’ve got it going.”
Having served under former principal Lee Newman, he feels as prepared as he can be for the start of the school year, because Newman took the time to show him “the ins and outs” of what it takes to lead the school.
Medler is also relying on his established rapport with students and teachers alike to help him find his footing in the coming year.
“The older I get, the more laid back I am as far as just my personality, but that doesn’t mean I’m lazy,” said Medler. “I want people to feel comfortable. I want to be that person for the teachers because they’re the ones that do the work in the classroom … I want to be that person to assist them.”
While teaching wasn’t his initial career path — he transitioned from accounting to education in the 1990s — it’s something he misses on a daily basis but sees traces of in his current role. Eager to begin the new school year and his new responsibilities, he’s ready to interact with students and teach them in a new way.
“In this job, you teach. You teach kids, just a different thing,” said Medler. “I am excited. I think we’ve got a great place here. We don’t do everything perfect, but our whole goal is always for the kids.”