And now his work at the 650-student school has landed him one of the school district’s top honors as an “Educator of Excellence” chosen by the The Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty.
He is one of three winners of the foundation’s annual awards, which are considered the highest honor for Lakota school employees.
“I wasn’t expecting this at all,” said 41-year-old Rouff. “I was hugely surprised.”
A 1992 Lakota High School graduate and the father of two Lakota students whose family lives near Hopewell Junior School at 8200 Cox Road, Rouff said it was already a special honor to come back and lead his old school.
“The award means I’m surrounded by a lot of great people that believe the same things I do. They want an experience for junior high kids that will positively affect them for a lifetime,” said Rouff, who taught at the school for 10 years before moving into administration and becoming the principal in 2011.
“For something like this (award) you have to have a team of people and we’re all rowing in the same direction,” he said.
Hopewell PTSO President Kathy Strack said Rouff’s history with the school and the passion he brings to the job and community “makes him one of a kind.”
“He understands each and every kid in the school and it seems like he has a different handshake for every student,” said Strack of the school which houses grades 7-8.
“He has a real passion for the middle school years,” she said.
Rouff’s efforts to establish connections with his families and the surrounding community were repeatedly noted by foundation and school district officials.
Creative community outreach projects that Rouff has championed include a school community service group, Excellence in Action, which provides access for students who may struggle finding a niche organization. Also, under his direction, twice a week community volunteers provide a study session for the school’s ELL (English Language Learner) students.
“The Educator of Excellence award is a long-standing tradition at Lakota and continues to be the gold standard for teaching excellence here in our community,” said Lakota Superintendent Karen Mantia.
Lauren Boettcher, spokeswoman for Lakota Schools, said “the volume of nominations submitted on Jeff’s behalf speaks to the respect and admiration that his students, parents, staff, peers and the community have for him. It was great to see the larger community recognize him as one of our standout administrators.”
The other two award winners for 2016 were: Todd Caulfield, sixth grade teacher at Cherokee Elementary and Tracey Kornau, physical education teacher and varsity girls volleyball coach at Lakota West High School.
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