New schools’ chief embraces technology

The new superintendent said that the district’s staff is passionate about teaching.

By D.a. Wilkinson

COLUMBIANA — Five awards from the U.S. Department of Education for excellence in education hang on the wall at Columbiana High School.

And if new school Superintendent Don Mook has his way, “Another one is on it’s way.”

Mook is the former principal at the David Anderson High School in Lisbon who was recently named Columbiana’s new superintendent.

He replaces Ron Iarussi of Struthers, who took a job with the Mahoning County Educational Service Center.

Mook, 42, said Iarussi helped lay the foundation for the district’s progress.

Mook, and Alex Heintzelman, the president of the board of education, said that the board’s interest in technology has paved the way for the district’s high tech approach to learning.

Heintzelman said the district had been heading toward more technology in the schools in recent years.

The question, Mook said, was, “How is this technology going to help education?”

The teachers are versed on what the students need to learn in order to meet state requirements.

And, Mook said, staffers are passionate about teaching.

Many students have Internet access but others do not. When it came to trying to increase usage of technology, Mook said, “It was a question of how fast and how far can we drag the wagon?”

This year, seniors have been able to use minicomputers and can use them in other classes.

Heintzelman said no decision has been made on whether these students could keep those computers when they graduate next year.

Mook said that he had no doubt that many of the students were more adapt at using the Internet than their parents.

Despite the push for technical education, other subjects are not being neglected, including literature. Some of the books being read in the district range from one hundred years old to “very current and up to date,” the superintendent said.

One teacher went out and bought another bookcase to hold all the new volumes.

Mook has two daughters, Baylee, a seventh grader, and Brittany, a fifth grader, in the Columbiana schools. His wife, Debbie, is a real-estate agent.

wilkinson@vindy.com