BARNESVILLE — Micah Fuchs will be taking the reins this school year as superintendent of the Barnesville Exempted Village school district following the retirement of Angie Hannahs in September.

“I came to Barnesville 10 years ago as a high school principal. I came into the director of Student Services role about six years ago,” he said. “Transitioning into this role, I’m excited to get started.”

He said he is looking to the example of past superintendents.

“I’ve been able to experience some exceptional leadership with Randy Lucas and Angie Hannahs, so I’ve learned a lot over my tenure here about how to best provide instruction, how to manage facilities, how to communicate effectively with people. So I hope I can grow the things that we’ve started here years ago. We have a lot of things that are changing.”

Fuchs said his first objectives will be planning ahead to meet the Ohio Department of Education’s requirements. Some immediate goals include rotating out some expiring technology and transitioning to iPads for students, as well as implementing new programs and plans for struggling readers. Fuchs said the district intends to stay “ahead of the curve.”

“Our staff and students and community is great to work with, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” he said. “I’m looking to continue to reflect upon the good successes we’ve had and continue to support the staff and continue to provide what the students need to be successful in life.”

He will also build on programs such as industrial credentialing and exposing students to trades.

“Hopefully we can continue to expand those options for students and make it a great place for students and families,” he said. “A lot of times we get people who want to come into this district from other districts, so we want to keep that reputation. Our academics are strong, and I feel like our staff is the reason for that. We have exceptional leaders, and we have exceptional teachers.

“I welcome challenge,” he continued. “I’ve been in several different roles in my life, and I think the experiences I’ve had in the past have prepared me to face challenges. So when they come up, we’ll meet those challenges head-on.”

Another consideration is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on learning.

“I think there will be the ramifications for that situation for a long time, but I will say with Dr. Hannahs’ leadership, we were very successful. We had a plan in place. We were ready to go on Day 1, and we provided interventions that were necessary for students that needed them and we did everything we could to mitigate that situation. There are pockets, and we are looking at ways to provide interventions and differentiate in the classroom to help those students with those problems. It’s not just the academics, there’s social, emotional things that we’re looking to address and we have been addressing, and we’re looking at ways to expand those opportunities.”

Fuchs describes his leadership style as collaborative, adding that he will confer with the administration and staff often.

Fuchs said he is grateful to Hannahs for her advice and guidance as he prepares for the school year.

“She’s been a great mentor over the years since I came to Barnesville. She’s been right there with me this whole time,” he said.

“Micah will do an excellent job as superintendent,” Hannahs said.

He also credits the support of his wife, Stephanie.

Fuchs originally taught in the Switzerland of Ohio Local School District. His children are all Barnesville students.

“This has become my new home,” he concluded.