Honored principal gains inspiration from GovState mentors
By Laura Pohl, Contributing Writer
To be successful in school leadership, you must create the right culture.
That’s the philosophy of Adam Kueltzo, who was honored as 2025 Principal of the Year in the Starved Rock Region by the Illinois Association of Principals. Kueltzo is completing his third year as principal of Serena High School in Serena, Illinois. He’s also earning his second degree at Governors State University (GovState).
“The most important aspect of school culture is building trust among faculty and students,” said Kueltzo. “If you build relationships with your students and staff, then they’ll do the very best they can.”
Kueltzo has found mentoring and support for his leadership style while earning his advanced degrees at GovState. He completed his Master’s in Education Administration in 2006. Now he’s finishing the superintendent track in the Interdisciplinary Leadership Ed.D. Program (INLD), with graduation anticipated for May 2025.
Kueltzo liked that the GovState doctoral program incorporated hybrid learning. “I didn’t want an all-online program. I felt it was important to have relationships with people,” he said. “GovState professors (in the College of Education and Human Development) are current or past principals and superintendents. You can learn from people doing the job.”
Kueltzo said he’s grown in his role as a school leader with the mentoring of Dr. Christopher Dignam, assistant professor, who served for nearly three decades as a teacher, principal, and superintendent of schools. “I can bounce ideas off Dr. Dignam,” said Kueltzo. “He’s patient and helpful, and guided me through the capstone process. I’ve appreciated his insights, and his courses were based on creating school culture.”
Another important mentor for Kueltzo is Dr. Matt Cooney, associate professor, and director of the INLD. “I always like hearing what he has to say,” Kueltzo said. “Early on, he eased my doubts by explaining ‘imposter syndrome‘ and he’s helped with my writing. I’ve become a better writer and researcher.”
To create a culture conducive to learning at Serena High School, Kueltzo has focused on building personal relationships with his students and staff, greeting them all by name. The close-knit atmosphere of 20 staff members and 165 students allows him to get involved with the students’ activities. Instituting a student-of-the-month award program, complete with a celebratory lunch and gift cards, has been popular with the entire school community.
The positive atmosphere he’s fostered at Serena gained the attention of several nominators for the principal award. “Adam can be found daily, from the time students begin to trickle in to throughout the day, popping into classrooms or walking in halls to make connections with students,” said one nominator. “Making these positive connections helps to ensure his knowledge of his students which in turn strengthens their ability to learn on a daily basis because they know Mr. K and the teachers care!”
Kueltzo’s educational journey included taking a wide range of undergraduate science courses at Augustana College. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University in 2002. “I’m an outgoing person, so I thought a career in education would allow me to showcase my skills in science and pass along my expertise to students,” he said. His career began with teaching high school science, and he began to consider leadership while serving as an assistant athletic director.
Today, his email signature includes the sentence, “As important as your past is, it’s not as important as the way you see the future.”
Those words have certainly inspired Kueltzo’s career. As an award nominator said, “Adam has high expectations not only for students and staff, but for himself. He recognizes that without having a growth mindset for himself, he will be unable to lead others to create a successful learning environment.”