×

Cardwell leaving positive impact at Besser, APS

News Photo by Julie Goldberg Eric Cardwell has a few more days left as Besser Elementary School principal and is sad to be leaving the students. He said he is going to bring the spirit and enthusiasm of the students, parents, and staff of Alpena to all points of the nation at he travels while serving as the resident of the National Association of Elementary School Principals.

ALPENA — There are just a few days left in the school year, so Eric Cardwell only has a few more days left as Besser Elementary School principal before he begins his tenure as president of the National Association of Elementary School Principals.

Cardwell said the one word that best describes leaving Besser and Alpena Public Schools is bittersweet.

“It’s an absolute honor to be able to represent the nation’s 60,000 principals, but at the same time knowing that what I do with kids is going to change and I’ve always hated saying ‘see you later’ because I do plan on coming back and seeing the kids and staff,” he said.

This is Cardwell’s 10th year as a principal at APS and he said it’s been amazing to be a principal. He was principal at Sanborn Elementary School for four years before coming to Besser for the past six years.

“With my grandfather teaching here, I never expected to come to Alpena to work. It’s just an absolute great way to end my career to come full circle, born in Alpena and potentially ending my career in Alpena,” Cardwell said.

Cardwell said working toward being the NAESP president has been a team effort because of the staff members he’s worked with at both Sanborn and Besser and their support of what he’s doing.

The central office and board of education also have given Cardwell the opportunity to be NAESP president because he’s helping put Alpena in the position of promoting positive change.

Cardwell said it isn’t set in stone yet if he will come back to Alpena next year when his one-year term is complete, but he’s keeping his options open.

“Regardless of where my path leads me, staying in Alpena or doing something else education related, home will always be Alpena,” he said.

Cardwell said the one thing he’s going to miss about Alpena is the realness of the community since Alpena is a larger town for being in northern Michigan.

“I like how everyone kind of looks out for one another, not just in the school, but in the community,” he said. “Our staff sees parents in the grocery stores and on the streets, and the kids are always excited to see you, and that part will be missed greatly.”

The last day of school for APS students is Tuesday and Cardwell said it’s going to be a celebration because different activities are going to be going on at Besser. He also said after the students and staff leave to go home, he’s going to have time to reflect and help get things ready for the next Besser principal .

While serving as NAESP president, Cardwell said he’s going to represent the students, teachers, and administrators across the nation to the best of his ability. He said next year is going to be critical because he has a brief amount time to represent everyone.

Cardwell is planning on doing a tour through several states in September highlighting the good things that are going on in the schools. He said he wants to get the message out that celebrations and good things are going on in schools across the nation.

Besser fourth/fifth grade teacher Jen Myers said Cardwell’s impact on Besser is huge because of the culture of excellence he’s created.

“He leads in a way that’s very personal and connects not just with the staff, but with the kids,” she said. “He’s real big on building community connections and honestly, one of the best leaders that I’ve worked under so quite a compliment to him.”

Myers said it’s going to be different next year with a new principal, but the culture at Besser will not change.

“The nice thing is the culture that is here is one where everyone knows the expectations,” Myers said. “Every leader leaves their own fingerprint on the area, but honestly, it’s a great school, great staff, great kids, wonderful parent support, so I don’t think it will be that big of a blip on the radar.”

Myers said Cardwell is going to be missed at Besser and the next principal is going to have big shoes to fill.

“It’s going to be very hard to find another Eric Cardwell, but I’m very confident in the people who are making the decision,” she said. “I think they’ll choose someone who’s a good fit for our school and can bring something unique to them.”

Superintendent Dr. John VanWagoner said Cardwell is going to be greatly missed at Besser because he’s always positive and always trying to find the best way to motivate and help the students.

“Eric’s a really, really strong proponent of the profession, long-time principal, just had some great experiences, but most of all in that building, he’s absolutely fabulous with the kids,” VanWagoner said. “I’m excited for him to be able to continue to strengthen the profession and to bring many of those resources and opportunities to his colleagues here in Alpena.”

Myers said everyone is excited for the opportunity Cardwell has to be NAESP president. She said it’s an amazing opportunity for him to be make an impact and be a voice for elementary school principals.

“He’s going to have an opportunity to have an influence on the national level and he is a great representation of what education stands for and not just where it’s been but where it’s headed,” Myers said.

VanWagoner said Cardwell is going to be able to give the perspective from a rural school district and to be joined on the national conversation about education and education reform.

“So many times we hear about the struggling schools within inner cities and not that that’s not important at all, but I think often times it’s missed that we have some of the same issues of poverty and crime or child abuse and those kind of things that I think are sometimes gets left out of the conversation in rural areas,” he said.

Cardwell said he’s going to be blogging his journey as NAESP president on the NAESP website and through social media.

Julie Goldberg can be reached via email at jgoldberg@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5688.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today