Adrian Public Schools adds K-12 instructional coach

Brad Heineman, The Daily Telegram

ADRIAN — Adrian Public Schools has a new instructional coach for kindergarten through 12th grade for the 2023-24 school year.

Meghan Thompson, whose journey with Adrian began in the fall of 2017 when she joined Lincoln Elementary School as a second grade teacher, was named last week as a K-12 instructional coach for the district. She will join Stacy Arnold in that role.

"I am truly honored to take on the role of K-12 instructional coach at Adrian Public Schools," Thompson said in a news release. "Having been part of this amazing school community, I am thrilled to support and collaborate with educators to enhance the learning experience for our students."

Throughout her tenure at Adrian, Thompson demonstrated talent and a passion for educational excellence, the release said.

“Her impact on the district was profound, participating in various committees such as Science Day planning, school improvement and elementary curriculum,” the release said. “This involvement highlights her unwavering commitment to collaborative efforts with teachers and administrators.”

Before joining Adrian Public Schools, Thompson developed her teaching skills by instructing various grade levels in Arizona. She earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Spring Arbor University and a master's degree in learning design and technology from St. Mary's University of Minnesota.

Arnold said there were “numerous exceptional candidates” for the open K-12 instructional coach position who were “each capable of making significant contributions to our team.”

“I am delighted to work with Meghan and look forward to benefiting from her wealth of experience and fresh perspective," Arnold said in the district’s release.

"We are thrilled to have Meghan step into this vital leadership role,” added Derrick Richards, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction. “Her accomplished background as a classroom teacher and unwavering passion for equipping educators with the tools they need to excel makes her the ideal fit for our new K-12 instructional coach."

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In June, the Adrian Board of Education approved a measure so graduation coaches working with the district will be hired directly by the school and not through a third-party contractor.

Entering the 2023-24 school year, the district is adding more than 10 instructional coaches throughout Adrian’s school buildings.

The newly hired instructional coaches are:

  • Kimberly Blackmon, Springbrook Middle School.

  • Jaleel Brown, Adrian High School.

  • Annette Cypret, Lincoln Elementary School.

  • Jackie Depew, Alexander Elementary School.

  • Shantay Ernst, Adrian High School.

  • Michael Fox, Springbrook Middle School.

  • Steve Gonzalez, Springbrook Middle School.

  • Linda Hepker, Michener Elementary School.

  • Tracy Hribar, Adrian High School.

  • Leticia Nieto, Adrian Community Education Center.

  • Lisa Parisien, kindergarten through 12th grade English as Second Language (ESL) instructor.

  • Tammi Pifer, Prairie Elementary School.

  • James Stewart, Adrian Community Education Center.

Instructional coaches work with classroom teachers to improve the quality of their lessons and the quality of a student’s education.

Additional hires that were approved by the school board July 24 included Dori Eisenmann as the media paraprofessional at Lincoln Elementary School, Lindsey Wingfield as a full-time teacher at Prairie Elementary School, and Lindsey Luce as a teacher’s assistant at Drager Early Education Center.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Adrian Public Schools adds K-12 instructional coach

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