The locally elected School Board of the Duneland School Corporation has named Chip Pettit as the new Superintendent of Schools. Mr. Pettit is a lifelong resident of Northwest Indiana. He graduated from Crown Point High School and Valparaiso University and earned his master’s degree from Indiana University Northwest. Mr. Pettit will finish his doctorate in Educational Leadership from Ball State University at the end of July.
Mr. Pettit was formerly the principal at Crown Point High School for seven years, a public school with over 2,750 students and over 200 staff members. During his tenure as principal, Mr. Pettit worked with students, parents, teachers, staff and community residents that resulted in Crown Point being named the #1 public high school in Indiana by Newsweek. Mr. Pettit built effective educational and community partnerships that helped 75% of graduating seniors earn college credit and one-third of all students complete a year of college prior to graduating from high school. In addition, Mr. Pettit’s efforts in community outreach led to the development of a work-based learning and internship program, in which senior students were placed in over 250 local businesses that aligned with college and career interests.
Prior to moving into the role of Crown Point High School principal, Mr. Pettit gained valuable experience as a teacher with at-risk students; an athletic director at the middle school level; a teacher of advanced placement courses; the dean of students and the director of student services; and a coach of three different multiple sports, including head football coach for 13 years.
“We are pleased to welcome Chip Pettit to the Duneland School Corporation family. He has demonstrated a passion for educating kids and making a difference in the classroom, the boardroom and in the community. We have high standards in Duneland and feel we have a superintendent who is committed to exceptional leadership. Chip is a consensus-builder who will take the best Duneland has to offer and bring our school community together to work for common higher goals. We were impressed with his commitment to innovation and his proven record of collaboration to produce positive and tangible results for students,” said Brandon Kroft, president of the Duneland School Board of Trustees.
Pettit will start in his new role on July 1, 2019. “The support of the recent referendum by the Duneland community played a key role in my decision to accept this appointment as Superintendent. A community that supports the passage of the referendum is clearly one that places a high value on students and education. I am honored and humbled to accept this role and to work with the nearly 5,900 students, their parents and guardians, the Duneland teachers, staff and community residents for a better Duneland School Corporation and a better Duneland school community,” Pettit remarked.