Guidance, Support and Leadership from our APs and Deans

This week, we celebrate the incredible Assistant Principals and Deans who help make Richfield Public Schools a great place to learn, grow and excel! Their dedication, leadership and passion make a lasting impact on our students, staff and school community. We spoke to some of them about their role and what they love about working at Richfield Public Schools. Here’s what they had to say.

Dean Ryan Meulemans
"My favorite parts of my job are the connections I make with students and their families, as well as the connections that are made with staff," shared Ryan Muelemans, Dean at Richfield STEM Elementary. Ryan values the relationships he builds and tries to look for ways to support both students and educators in meaningful ways every day.

Assistant Principal Amy Hager
"I love that I get to interact with incredible and dynamic school staff and students each day as we all work together to help our students grow and excel!” shared Amy Hager, AP at Richfield Middle School. “The pace is demanding, but I feel like I have the ability to make a positive difference in the lives of those in our school community." Amy has called Richfield her school home for a decade and appreciates the district’s strong focus on equity and the close-knit relationships between educators, students and families. "I am so proud to be a Spartan!" she shared.

Assistant Principal Ashley Schaefer
"What I like most about my job are the students and the connections I have made with them," shared Ashley Schaefer, AP at Richfield Middle School. Ashley is in her fourth year as an AP at RMS, where she loves working with her co-partners, Ms. Hager and Ms. Barlow. She loves working at RMS because of the students and staff that she gets to interact with each day. “They make coming to work fun and rewarding,” said Ashley.

Assistant Principal Mike Harris
"I enjoy working with the wonderful students and staff at Richfield High School," said Mike Harris, AP at Richfield High School. Mike has dedicated his entire career to Richfield Public Schools, spending the past 25 years working at Richfield High School. "I can't imagine being any other place," he said.

Assistant Principal Carrie Vala
"I can't think of another job where you can say at the end of the day I got the privilege of partnering with someone on their journey to becoming who they want to become,” shared Carrie, AP at Richfield High School. “It's a pretty cool experience and one I get often in this job." Carrie believes that each day offers an opportunity to strengthen relationships that push the system toward excellence. "I get the benefit of working with a lot of different people in my role—students, teachers, families, colleagues and leaders—and each has taught me something about life, something about myself, or something brilliant that I can use to be better in my role."

A Typical Day

“Change and unpredictability are the only constant things in the job,” said Amy. “It's tough, but it's incredibly rewarding to be a part of the growth journey of our Spartan community!”

Ashley agrees that she never knows what the day will bring. Each day, she is out in the hallways ensuring students are getting to class and building meaningful connections. "It's important that each day I come to work, I know I will need to be flexible because you never know where the day will take you."

Carrie also enjoys the challenge and fun of being an AP. “We get the opportunity to serve the most remarkable students,” she said. “This team does an exceptional job at this while also reflecting on what might be our next opportunity.”