By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Michel Bechstein has taken a long and winding road to return to his elementary school.
Bechstein, who is currently assistant principal at Bowling Green Middle School, has been chosen as the new principal at Kenwood Elementary School when Kathleen Daney retires at the end of the school year.
Bechstein has a history with Kenwood. His father, Jerome, was among the first students to attend Kenwood when it opened in the 1950s. Michel went to Kenwood himself, and has fond members of Olympic gold medal figure skater Scott Hamilton visiting his alma mater every year.
Then the next generation of Bechstein’s family – his three children – also went to Kenwood.
But Bechstein took a roundabout route to get back to his old school. After college, he worked for 15 years in the corporate world, for Owens Corning and Chrysler, both in finances and sales.
But something was missing, so he went back to college to get a degree in education.
“Everyone thought I was nuts,” he said with a grin.
When Bechstein got into a classroom, nine years ago, he knew he had made the right decision.
“Education is the most satisfying thing you can do,” he said.
He began teaching technology in the middle school, then at the high school. Five years ago, he became assistant principal in the middle school.
The job isn’t easy, but Bechstein has had no second thoughts.
“There are days I get frustrated. There are kids who need so much,” he said. “But no, I don’t regret it at all.”
As assistant principal, Bechstein dishes out discipline at the middle school.
He also does teacher evaluations and works with special education, but acknowledged, “the majority of the discipline falls to me.”
In spite of that, Bechstein’s office is a place students are comfortable stopping by to chat.
“They do pop in quite a bit,” he said.
Though Bechstein has worked in the middle and high schools, he is thrilled to shift his focus to the younger grades.
“I’m ready to take on my own school,” he said.
He is looking forward to watching students grow from kindergarten through fifth grade, rather than just three grades.
“It will be a great challenge to get to know kids and help them succeed at every level,” he said.
“Kenwood has a great staff. My kids loved them and they are very dedicated.”
Bechstein knows he is becoming a principal at a tough time, when students and schools are trying to catch up after COVID.
“School needs to help fill those gaps. It’s my goal that we can treat the whole child,” he said.
Bechstein is a big believer that students learn best when the school focuses on the whole child.
“Until you can figure out what is holding that child back, they can’t really succeed,” he said. “I’m there for the kids.”
The timing is also not ideal for the elementary buildings in the Bowling Green school district. Bechstein will be leaving the newest building in the district to lead one of the oldest.
“I think everyone recognizes the needs for the elementary, but we all know there are financial constraints,” he said.
Bechstein’s goal is to make teachers and students feel valued – regardless of the current learning environment.
“I’m looking forward to the challenges,” he said. “I think the world of the team over there.”
“We may not have the best building, but we’ll do our best to make it the best elementary we can.”
Bechstein’s official start date at Kenwood is Aug. 1, but he doesn’t plan on waiting till then to get inside the school.
“I’ll be around this summer, in and out,” he said.
