Adrian Eftink hired as Oak Ridge superintendent

Adrian Eftink probably won't make any sweeping changes the minute he takes the reins of the Oak Ridge School District.

The Oak Ridge School Board on Wednesday announced it had appointed Eftink, who has been the district's elementary principal for the past 12 years, to replace current superintendent Gerald Landewee when he retires at the end of June.

In a telephone interview Wednesday, Eftink said his immediate goal is to maintain the district's tradition of academic success.

"We've been a school of academic excellence for the past [several] years, recognized by the state," he said.

As elementary principal, Eftink has focused primarily on younger students' needs.

As superintendent, he will have to expand his focus to encompass all of Oak Ridge's approximately 350 students, including high schoolers who are preparing for college and careers, he said.

"I feel like staying active in the community is going to be very important to kind of gauge what the community's needs are," Eftink said. "It is a different role from being the elementary principal. ... I need to be in touch with our business leaders in our community to make sure we are meeting the needs of the businesses and the farmers."

As principal, Eftink helped implement an intervention program in which teachers use data from benchmark tests to evaluate students' skills and build instructional units based on their needs.

The program creates what Eftink called a "dynamic learning environment" in which resource and special education teachers come into regular classrooms to work with students on specific skills.

The teachers still may pull out students who need more intensive instruction, but if students show growth in the classroom, they can stay there, and the resource teachers will come to them, he explained.

"It's creating a team approach to learning, as far as the resource staff, the special ed staff," Eftink said.

In addition to giving children a boost when they fall behind, the program helps teachers identify students who are at or above grade level and tailor instruction to their needs, he said.

Eftink said he and Landerwee are working to make the transition as seamless as possible.

"We'll be working together to work through budgets, [human resources] and programming for the students for next year," he said.

Eftink said he is looking forward to watching students grow up.

"It's basically working with the whole community -- getting the opportunity to see the kids from our preschool setting all the way to graduation," he said. "... I'm going to get that opportunity to see them make it through the whole cycle here in our district."

epriddy@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

Oak Ridge, MO

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Oak Ridge by the numbers

Student population: About 350

Number of certified staffers: 49

Average class size: 25 to 30