Beloved elemntary principal retiring in Poland

POLAND

Ask the people closest to McKinley Elementary Principal Ed Kempers about him, and they’ll tell you the same thing. Kids trust him. He makes them feel safe. And he always has their best interests at heart.

“They knew that when they were in his building, no matter what age they were, they were safe. They were liked. Actually, more than liked – they were loved,” said Poland Middle School social-studies teacher Thad Wright, who worked with Kempers for 28 years.

That’s almost the entirety of Kempers’ career, which began September 1986 and now is ending with his retirement.

Kempers started as a seventh-grade math teacher. After eight years, then-Superintendent Dr. Robert Zorn asked Kempers to take over as principal of Dobbins Elementary, a job he did for two years.

Next came what Kempers describes as the most rewarding chapter in his career: He became principal of the newly reopened Union Elementary.

From there, Kempers moved to the role he now is leaving: principal at McKinley, the district’s fifth- and sixth-grade school. There, he worked closely with Poland Middle School Principal Mark Covell.

“I fondly call him the ‘Mr. Rogers of Poland schools’ because of his constant pleasant demeanor,” said Covell.

Read more about him in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.