Eyestone principal will leave with fond memories

By Gary Raham
Wellington Correspondent

When asked three years ago about future career goals during an interview for the principal's position at Eyestone Elementary, John Karbula mentioned that he had his eye on a district superintendency someday.

That someday arrived sooner than expected when Windsor school officials announced that Karbula was the unanimous choice to lead their district. He will finish the school year at Eyestone before tackling this new challenge.

"This is a great opportunity," said Karbula. "I love the northern Colorado area."

Karbula will supervise about 3,200 students divided among a high school, middle school, four elementary schools and a K-8 charter school. Karbula already knows quite a few people in the district from his tenure at Meeker Elementary in Greeley and elsewhere. Many of the challenges he will face there are, as in Wellington and other Front Range communities, growth related. Windsor is expanding at a rate of about 5 percent a year.

"They have a great district," said Karbula, "and growth capacity for the next few years, but they will face new bond issues in the future." He pointed out that bond issues can be a tough sell when, on average, 70 to 75 percent of the population has no children in school.

Karbula's older daughter, Caitlin, will probably finish high school at Poudre. Thirteen-year-old Lauren hasn't decided which district to attend. Karbula has passed the prelims for a doctorate at Colorado State University and is looking forward to work on a thesis. His wife, Julie, serves as a development director with the College of Agricultural Science at CSU. The family has been doing a little house hunting, but doesn't know precisely where or exactly when they will settle in Windsor.

"What I've loved about being at Eyestone," said Karbula "is that the teachers make such a great team. We've worked hard to provide a learning environment for kids."

Karbula also takes pride in the 90 minutes per week of professional development teachers engage in to keep them excited and up to date in matters educational. He says the staff deserves a lot of credit for maintaining a small town "family feeling" in a school that now serves 625 students.

Karbula expects that whoever takes his place will get the same warm welcome he got. "This is a wonderful and very special place," he said. "I'm leaving with absolutely nothing but fond memories. It's been a pleasure to work with this totally dedicated staff every day."

And, if he's done his job correctly, he expects staff dedication and excellence to continue. "The sign of great leadership," he says, "is that things continue to get better after you've gone."