In front of staff and community members Dec. 14, Nixa
School Board President Scott McDonald, right, introduces
H. Gearl Loden as superintendent, starting July 1. Loden is
pictured in the background with his family, wife Monica and
sons, 16-year-old Trey and 9-year-old Arthur.
Main: Gearl
Loden, from
Tupelo,
Mississippi,
will take the
helm as Nixa
superintendent
July 1.
Left: Gearl
Loden and his
family, wife
Monica and
sons, 16-yearold
Trey and
9-year-old
Arthur, are
excited to get
involved with the
Nixa community.
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handle the upcoming growth.
“He’s maintained one high school. He says if you divide the
high school, you divide the community. So he brings the same
mentality as the board,” Roberts said. “That’s important to us.”
During the hiring process, six board members visited the
Tupelo School District and were very impressed with what
they saw, especially at the high school. But Loden is just as
impressed with the Nixa School District, listing off things from
national leadership recognition to community-supported bond
issues.
“Everything I can tell from job satisfaction, Nixa schools
has been a great place to work. If you have happy teachers
who like their jobs, that’s going to help you recruit more,”
said Loden, who was named 2015 Mississippi State
Superintendent of the Year. “I’m thankful Dr. Kleinsmith is
going to be there through the transition. ... The board has won
numerous awards from MSBA. Seeing how committed and
dedicated they are to the school, I’m excited to be working for
this board.”
Loden — who is married to Monica, a nursing educator —
has a doctorate in education leadership and master’s degrees
in business administration and education leadership.
He said he’s looking forward to getting integrated into the
community.
“We have two children, so they will keep us involved in
the community, playing sports and church activities,” said
Loden, who will have an annual salary of $186,000
and a three-year contract. “Then on top of that, we
like being involved in the community. If there’s a
festival, we try to attend and be involved. We try to
be involved in different civic groups and fundraisers
— whether buying pancakes or raffl e
tickets.”
Loden said although his offi cial start date
isn’t until July 1, you will see him around
occasionally in the meantime, even at
NIXPO on March 17.
“I’m excited about having this time of
transition to come in and start building
relationships so people can start to
get to know me,” he said. “I’ll take
care of the district that I’m in, I
want to make sure they are in
good hands. But, I’ll be here (in
Nixa) for several days and ... I
want to try to attend several key
events between now and then.”
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SPRING 2018 THE NEST NIXA PUBLIC SCHOOLS MAGAZINE 7
SPRING 2018 THE NEST NIXA PUBLIC SCHOOLS MAGAZINE 7
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