Principals Ryan Haughey and Corey Hartley will oversee fifth through eighth grade students
Starting this fall, students in the formative years between elementary and high school will have a new principal in their building – but neither is an unfamiliar face. Westfield Middle School’s Ryan Haughey will move from assistant principal to the head of the school and Corey Hartley has left Shamrock Springs to become principal at Westfield Intermediate School.
Ryan Haughey – Westfield Middle School
Ryan Haughey graduated from Westfield High School in 1998. After earning a degree in social studies education from Purdue University in 2003, Haughey returned home.
“I’ve been in education for 11 years. All 11 at Westfield Middle School,” he said. “It means everything to me to do – continue serving our community and the school district specifically that has given me so much.”
Haughey, who earned his principal’s license and master’s degree from Indiana Wesleyan, has served as a social studies teacher, dean of students and was assistant principal the past five years. Haughey’s work background at Westfield Washington Schools also includes being a substitute teacher and a Sodexho employee working the grounds after high school.
“I’ve done almost everything in the school district you can do,” he said. “All that experience has kept me in touch with what it takes to really lead and live the Westfield way. It gives me a unique perspective seeing so many different roles.”
While at the middle school, Haughey met his wife who was a teacher at the intermediate school.
“We have strong roots in the community beyond working there professionally, which really means a lot,” he said.
Haughey replaces Linda Konkle, who retired this summer. He said the most important lesson he learned from her is “relationships with people and how powerful that can be.”
“She’s all I’ve known at the middle school,” he said. “What I learned from Linda is the relationships she built with our parents, staff and students. She truly, truly cared beyond what went on at school. She cared about their lives.”
Haughey said he taking over a productive building – one that has been named a 4-Star School the past four years – with a strong teaching staff.
“We have teachers that get and understand 12- to- 14-year-old adolescents and what they go through on a daily basis,” he said. “They go above and beyond even if it means more work for them.
Haughey plans to enhance the school’s Bring Your Own Technology program by adding a second team this year so half to two-thirds of eighth-graders will be participating. Another building-wide change is the use of My Big Campus instead of blogs and websites.
“We didn’t use one consistent platform,” he said. “Parents had to visit seven different teachers’ websites or blogs. This keeps it under on big umbrella. All of the kids’ classes are in one spot.”
Haughey said the new program provides information on homework, test and quizzes, and a messaging tool for teachers, parents and students. My Big Campus was piloted with the eighth grade BYOT program last school year.
“I really feel like we hit something last year. We had to take advantage of it,” he said.
Corey Hartley– Westfield Intermediate School
Corey Hartley began his career in the Marine Corps as a military police officer for four years. When he got out, Hartley earned his undergraduate degree from Ball State University and started teaching fourth grade at Yorktown Elementary.
“Then I had the opportunity to come to Westfield and start teaching sixth grade at the intermediate building,” he said.
Hartley has spent the past eight years in administration serving as assistant principal at Maple Glen and Shamrock Springs elementary schools and Westfield Intermediate School. Most recently he was Shamrock Springs principal for the past five years.
“I had the opportunity to make the move back to the intermediate school building. It wasn’t something that was forced. I have my superintendent’s license and I’m also working on my doctorate so it gives me a broader scoop, a different experience than a K-4 building in terms of curriculum, diversity and staff,” he said. “This will be my third time in the building – once as a teacher, once as an assistant principal and now as the principal.”
Hartley said WIS’ strength is its teaching staff and their wide range of experience.
“It takes all kinds, all different styles to meet the needs of a thousand-plus kids. I think what those teachers bring to the table is phenomenal,” he said.
One of the staff’s challenges is helping students transition from elementary school, refine their study skills and find a niche so when they move to middle and high school the social challenge is not as difficult.
“It is the first time these kiddos coming into the fifth grade are together as a graduating class from high school. They’re coming from six elementary schools into one and usually that happens at a middle school,” said Hartley. “The teachers do a phenomenal job making that transition happen. Helping them make connections going from a group of 100 kiddos at a grade level at a school to 400-plus.”
Hartley said he plans to build on the work Hedges started in setting the foundation of non-cognitive skills of WIS students as far as career and college readiness skills.
“Things like grit, perseverance and leadership – those things that aren’t tested on ISTEP,” he said.
Hartley said he enjoys engaging with the students and helping them find that niche at the intermediate school level.
“Let them know it is O.K. to be who they are and everybody does have a place they belong. They are witty, they’re funny and they get my dry sense of humor,” he said.
As a young leader, Hartley said he learned from previous principals to put the needs of the student first and the importance of sitting down and talking with people.
“Have open and honest dialogue even if it is a tough conversation it is still important to talk things through and over communicate so everybody is on the same page and has the same understanding,” he said.
Meet Ryan Haughey
Age: 35
Hometown: Born in Sheridan and later moved to Westfield.
Residence: Noblesville
Family: Wife, Amy; son, Keegan; and daughter, Tatum.
Hobbies: Jogging, playing with my kids, anything to do with the Chicago Cubs
Favorite part of the first day of school: Seeing the excitement and enthusiasm in the students’ eyes.
Favorite cafeteria food: Pizza
Personal quote: “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others – Gandhi. I like this quote because Gandhi is one of my favorite people in history. It drives my philosophy of education and leadership.”
Meet Corey Hartley
Age: 39
Hometown: Muncie
Residence: Noblesville
Family: Wife, Melissa; and children, Cohen (9), Miles (7), and Laken-Mae (3)
Hobbies: My children and I often save the world from backyard alien invasions.
Favorite part of the first day of school: The energy of having the students and staff back in the building.
Favorite cafeteria food: Pizza
Quote: “And All the Colors I am inside have not been invented yet” – Shel Silverstein.
