Positivity is key for new PCS elem. principal

by Becky Uehling

the grant tribune-sentinel

With a goal of positivity and building people up, 38-year-old Austin Reisig is excited to step into his new role of principal at Perkins County Elementary School with the start of school next week. 

From Goddard, Kan., graduating from high school in 2004, Reisig went on to Oklahoma Baptist on a baseball scholarship and continued on to Peru State, also on a baseball scholarship. He earned his Elementary and K-12 Special Education in 2009. 

His first job was in McCook where he served as both the elementary special education and then the middle school special education teacher for eight years, and then went on to teach in Cambridge for five years. 

When COVID hit, Reisig, like many people, stopped and took inventory of where he was in life and where he wanted to be. It was then a friend suggested the Jon Gordan Company and The Energy Bus, and the experience changed his career path to administration. 

Based on the mega best-selling book by Jon Gordon, The Energy Bus for Schools program is designed to fuel schools, teachers and students with positive energy. Research clearly shows that culture and leadership greatly influence a school’s learning environment and students’ academic success, according to the Jon Gordon Company website. 

To more fully utilize the skills he was learning from the Jon Gordon Company, Reisig decided administration work would be the best way to build relationships and teach students and teachers how to thrive with positivity. 

After earning his degree in Educational Leadership from Wayne State, Reisig began searching for open admin. positions, but knew that whereever he went had to be right for his family, which includes his wife Liz, 17-year-old son Markell, 16-year-old daughter Kaylynn, and 12-year-old son Miles. 

“I had about three different towns and each of the kids started researching them online and Perkins County was the one they picked,” he said. 

Reisig said his family’s experience in Grant so far and at PCS has been amazing, and he knows they made the right decision. 

Reisig said that coming into the position at PCS he has no plans to change anything at first, but to encourage the Gordan model of positivity throughout the elementary school and the entire district. This will include focusing on efforts to pump up the pride the kids and teachers feel for the school, and to really focus on branding the school as a positive place to be on Facebook and other social media. 

Reisig and his wife, who works from home for PinPoint Communications, have been getting to know people and getting involved. Reisig has plans to eventually get involved with volunteer organizations throughout the community. 

Reisig said he is excited to get to know people and encourages people to stop by and chat. “I have an open-door policy,” he said.