Dr. Derek Arrowood recognized as best among peers in District V
Arrowood
The superintendent of Hamilton Heights School Corporation, Dr. Derek Arrowood, has been named 2024 Superintendent of the Year for District V by the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents (IAPSS).
Winners are selected by other superintendents in their district who consider the qualifications and accomplishments of area colleagues and their instructional leadership in a time of limited resources.
“I am humbled and honored by this recognition,” Dr. Arrowood said. “It is a high honor considering the caliber and talent among my colleagues in the other District V schools.”
Dr. Arrowood has been a respected leader of education in Hamilton County for many years, and on a variety of levels. He has an impressive resume that touches on all aspects of leadership. Dr. Arrowood has served as superintendent at Hamilton Heights School Corporation since 2014 and is currently the longest-serving school superintendent in Hamilton County.
Located in the northeastern-most part of Hamilton County, Hamilton Heights is the heart and hub of Jackson and White River townships which include the communities of Atlanta, Arcadia, and Cicero. Hamilton Heights is deeply rooted in its community with a storied history rich in tradition, community, and academic excellence more than a century strong.
This premier early childhood through grade 12 education institution has earned a respected reputation for its robust curriculum, student engagement, exceptional educators, and staff, abundant extracurricular, enrichment and social activities, diverse career pathways, award-winning performing arts, and athletic opportunities and countless stories of secondary success. The district serves 2,242 students in three buildings.
Dr. Arrowood notes that “people over paper clips” is a statement often heard when making financial decisions. “The more efficiently we spend our allotted funds on things like paper clips, the more money we can push toward our most important instructional tool: our people,” he said.
As an example, the district dug its own well and built its own solar field. The money the district was spending on water and electric bills is now being spent on classroom structures that impact students.
A partnership with the Central Indiana Education Services Center (CIESC) has allowed the district to add a third counselor at Hamilton Heights High School and expand training for its counselor team. It is also participating in the Ford Next Generation Learning (NGL) program.
Dr. Arrowood, a 1986 graduate of Hamilton Heights High School, earned his Bachelor of Arts and Ph.D. degrees from Purdue University and his Master of Science in Education from Indiana University.
District V includes schools in Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Marion, and Shelby counties. One of the eight district winners will be named Indiana Superintendent of the Year for 2024 and will represent Indiana in the American Association of School Administrators National Superintendent of the Year program.