MU| N o t e s
Profile
Craig Hopple ’91
MU alumni lead Plymouth schools
A
dministrators at Plymouth Community Schools might
want to consider starting their own alumni group
chapter. Proudly holding their alma mater’s flag are
(from left) Dan Tyree ’76, superintendent until his
retirement on July 1; Kyle Coffman ’07, assistant principal at
Plymouth High School; Craig Hopple ’91, assistant principal
at Lincoln Junior High School; Steven Boyer ’06, principal at
Menominee Elementary School; and Andy Hartley ’00, who
had been assistant superintendent before succeeding Tyree as
superintendent this summer.
“I had a great experience at Manchester as a student,” says
Hopple, whose daughter Hanna is a first-year elementary
education major. “I enjoyed everything that Manchester had to
offer.” Hopple says, as a parent, it’s bittersweet to send a child to
college but “I hope she has the same wonderful experience that I
had when I attended.”
Hopple started his career teaching sixth grade in Culver and
has extensive coaching experience, too. “I chose to enter
administration so that I could have a greater impact on more
students on a daily basis,”
he said. In Plymouth,
a big part of that is building
relationships to strengthen a sense of community. “Rain or shine, I
greet all students who are dropped off, walk or ride their bikes,” says
Hopple. “I want to be the first impression that a student has of our
school.”
Manchester, he added, does an excellent job of preparing students for
careers as educators, “from global opportunities, structured curriculum,
hands-on experiences, and the most up-to-date strategies used in
education. I also appreciated how Manchester scheduled you right into
the classrooms that first semester of school. It allowed me to gain
hands-on experience right from the start. Also, professors shared a
variety of strategies for the classroom that enabled me to be an
effective educator.”
This summer, Hopple brought Hanna for orientation, returning to
the familiar campus where memories of playing tennis, eating with his
friends and watching air band contests flooded back to him. “I hope
that she will build friendships that will last a lifetime,” he says. “I also
hope she will appreciate the liberal arts education that Manchester
offers, and that Manchester will provide her with the tools to become
an effective teacher.”
And if Hanna ever plants her MU flag in Plymouth that would be
OK, too.
By Zoe Vorndran ’19 and Melinda Lantz ’81
Manchester | 41