Newcastle Board of Education approved the hire of Dr. Cathy Walker as the next superintendent during a special meeting Tuesday, March 21. Walker will succeed current Superintendent Dr. Melonie Hau who will be retiring at the end of the school year.
“Dr. Walker is an experienced education professional dedicated to students and community,” Maker said. “She was instrumental in developing and implementing new educational programs during her time at Stillwater Public Schools that helped provide new and exciting opportunities for students. Her experience inside and outside the classroom will help our growing district reach new heights. Her experience with introducing new programs, and her commitment to education excellence fits in nicely with the district’s strategic plan and will be invaluable as our district continues to grow.”
Walker has served as the assistant superintendent at Stillwater Public Schools for the past six years and was also the principal of Stillwater Middle School from 2009- 2017. During her time at Stillwater, she implemented a 1:1 technology program, began the Pioneer Virtual Academy and helped start the district’s aviation program.
She was also named Oklahoma Middle School Principal of the year by the Oklahoma Association of Secondary School Principals in 2017.
With a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Oklahoma State University (OSU), Walker has experience in the classroom as a science teacher.
She also has her master’s degree in education and recently completed her Doctorate of Education in School Administration.
Walker is an active member of her community, serving on the Meridian Technology Center Pre-Engineering Business and Education Council and is a guest speaker for student teachers at OSU.
Walker said she is excited to join the Newcastle district and to build on its tradition of excellence. She is especially committed to ensuring all students have the resources and support they need to reach their greatest potential.
“Newcastle is known for providing students with outstanding opportunities and services,” Walker said. “The community has demonstrated its strong support for schools through the recent bond issue and involvement in the district’s long-term strategic plan. I’m thrilled to work with the NPS team to continue their great work and to take the district to the next level.”
Board members partnered with the Oklahoma State School Boards Association to help facilitate the search, including hosting a community survey. According to Newcastle Board President John Maker, the results from the survey were incredibly valuable as the board navigated the search process and narrowed down the candidate pool to an education professional who would be the best fit for the district.
“We are thankful for the responses we received to the superintendent stakeholder search,” Maker said. “Responses provided important insight into what our students, our parents, our staff and our community members value in a superintendent. The Board worked hard to match our stakeholders’ wishes to the pool of candidates that were considered. Thank you again to all those who responded.”
An OSSBA representative said they have helped facilitate superintendent searches across the state, working with other school board associations to ensure a competitive candidate pool.
The non-profit organization has partnered with several Oklahoma school districts of all sizes to perform superintendent searches, including El Reno, McAlester, Cordell, Eufaula and Woodland.
WALKER
Newcastle School Board members looked over more than 25 applicants before eventually hiring Dr. Cathy Walker as Superintendent of Schools.
Current Superintendent Dr. Melonie Hau said Newcastle Public Schools had a good number of applicants from which to choose.
Dr. Walker will take the position currently held by Hau, who announced she would be retiring from NPS this summer. A possible transition date is July 1.
Hau told Newcastle Schools patrons, “Please know I will remain committed to the needs of Newcastle’s students, staff and community until my final day with the district. I will also lend my full support and assistance to the Board of Education and the incoming superintendent during the transition process.”
Dr. Walker is currently a resident of Stillwater but she said she plans to move to Newcastle. She said the move will place her closer to her youngest daughter Sarah, a junior at Oklahoma City University majoring in Theatre Arts. Her oldest daughter, Kayla, is working towards her Masters in Public Relations and Marketing at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois.
“They are excited about me having this opportunity at Newcastle,” Walker said, adding that both daughters plan to be around her more.
Walker is a 1987 graduate of Mustang High School, saying she is a proud Mustang graduate. She earned her Bachelors degree, her Masters in Education, and her Doctorate (see related story in this issue) in School Administration at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater.
Most of her work in education has been at Stillwater Public Schools, but in her first year out of college she also taught seventh grade science at Mustang Middle School.
As she makes the transition to Newcastle, Walker said she believes her first goal is to come in and meet people and build relationships.
“I want to look at what Newcastle is doing well and what they are proud of,” Walker said. “I look forward to working with the teachers and the school board to develop a plan moving forward.”
Walker said NPS already has a great strategic plan, and she intends to work with the board to either continue to move the existing plan forward or see if there are any changes that need to be made.
She also said she needs to come up to speed very quickly on the bond issue, noting that the school district has already started some construction.
“I think when I get there and settle into my role, we’ll see the direction we want to go as a district,” Walker said.
