Learning all of his students' names will be easier for Cody Young at his new job as superintendent at Gatewood R-III School.
"I'm going from one building with 1,300 students to a district with 82 students," laughed Young, who began his new position July 1. "At Poplar Bluff, it took me until Christmas to learn everyone's name. Hopefully, here it will only take a couple of weeks."
Little details like getting to know each student by name are important to the education process, Young said.
"You can do all the teaching in the world but if the kid doesn't appreciate you and have respect for you, they aren't going to learn," he said.
Young replaces Allen Woods, who has taken a job as an assistant superintendent for the West Plains schools.
Young taught science for five years at Poplar Bluff Middle School and the past two years was a STEM teacher.
"It's great to be back in Ripley County," said Young, a 2007 graduate of Doniphan High School. "This is where I want to be and I want to be able to give back to the community that raised me. It's a dream job."
Although his first interest after high school was to study law enforcement, he quickly learned that education was his true calling.
After earning his associates degree at Three Rivers College, he finished his bachelor's in education with Hannibal-LaGrange University. He later added a master's in administration from William Woods University.
As a Ripley County native, he already is familiar with his new school's important role as a hub for a small community.
"The reputation this school has precedes itself," he said. "Great teachers, great students and the support of the community is unbelievable," he said. "I don't know if I've ever been around a school district with this type of support."
The first day of classes for students will be Aug. 9.
Young and the teaching staff will begin training Aug. 2-3 for something new that will start in the district this year.
"We are going one-to-one with Chromebooks, which is something new," he said. "We're getting more Wifi hot spots put in and will be taking the whole staff to training in Poplar Bluff to learn how to use Chromebooks in the classroom."
Young isn't the only new face on campus this year at Gatewood.
Rhonda Combs has joined the district as a fifth grade teacher. Anna Klipfel is the new music teacher. Gatewood also has a new head cook in Sara Barfield and a new custodian, Sarah Price.
"I think our staff on average has been here 14 years," said Young. "People come here and stay, which probably goes back to Kenny Hunt's days as superintendent. He was here for more than 20 years, which you don't see in too many places anymore. This is where I want to be."
Young's wife, Anna, is a fourth grade teacher at Poplar Bluff Middle School. Their family includes a two-year-old daughter, Avery. The couple is expecting their first son, Briar, to arrive in October.