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National Principals Month Profile: Colerain's Dr. Candace Nespeca
October 26, 2022 -- For Dr. Candace Nespeca, lifelong learning and making a difference in the lives of students, educators, and families is a passion that led her to education.
It’s also a driver that has led her to her many roles. In addition to serving as principal at Colerain Elementary, she is a supervisor for the Program for Students with Orthopedic and Health Impairments, an adjunct instructor for Ashland University, and a district liaison for the Wallace Foundation grant.
“It’s a fun role,” Nespeca said. “I get to be principal and don’t miss out on that building connection, but I also stay professionally engaged and learn new things through these other opportunities. Every single day, I learn something different.”
Nespeca has spent 28 years in the District and 23 years as a principal. Making a difference in students’ lives is the most rewarding part of her career.
“There’s a reason this is my 23rd year as principal,” Nespeca said. “It’s a gratifying and fun job. Seeing them grow up, still remember you, and feel good when they see you, it’s the best feeling. It means I had a positive part in that student’s life, even if it’s a tiny part. Seeing them grow up, be successful, enjoy life, and be good citizens is the best part.”
Nespeca knew she wanted to be a teacher in middle school. She wanted kids to feel like they were heard and understood in school.
“I had an experience where I felt like I wasn’t understood and didn’t fit into the mold they wanted me to fit into,” Nespeca said. “I felt like this person didn’t understand me and couldn’t help me. I remember thinking that I never want a kid to feel like that and if I can help by being in a principal role and ensuring teachers are supported and have the right core values to be an educator, then at least I know this school is good to go. Although it was a negative experience, it helped me learn how I could positively impact something.”
After graduating with her Bachelor’s from Youngstown State University, she started as a substitute teacher for Columbus City Schools. She later got a job as a fourth and fifth-grade teacher at Burroughs Elementary School. After that, she knew she wanted to become a principal. So she returned to school at The Ohio State University, earning her Master’s Degree and principal licensure.
She then completed the Leadership Internship Program and got her first principal job at Scioto Trail Elementary. She later became a principal at Parsons Elementary, where she served for 10 years.
“Every single one of those opportunities was so different,” Nespeca said. “My favorite part of my career is building a culture and climate in a building where staff, kids, and families are happy. I hope to create an environment where you know you would be happy to have your child.”
After being part of opening the district’s first Pre-K center at Linden Park Early Childhood Education Center, she became principal at Colerain. It has been her home for the last five years and has opened doors to other opportunities.
Nespeca continued her lifelong learning, earning her superintendent licensure from Ohio State. Then in April this year, she received her doctorate from Indiana Wesleyan University.
“My dissertation was all around training principals to become leaders in urban public schools,” she said. “It was nice to dig into that and learn about what could be and should be done to prepare our future leaders. It’s a topic near and dear to my heart.”
Preparing people for leadership roles is one of her passions. She gets to do this through her role at Ashland University, where she has served for the last seven years. Here, she supervises the internship program for pre-service administrators.
“I love doing this because you get to see how they grow,” she said. “They are doing hours of field experience, scholarly reading, interviews with principals, and then piecing together into a school improvement project. In the end, you see how they’ve changed through that internship.”
Her role as a liaison for the Wallace Foundation grant has a partnership component with Ashland University. This work focuses on principal licensure for those currently serving in the district to prepare them for future leadership opportunities with a specific focus on building equity-centered leaders.
“We are growing our principal pipeline,” she said. “The hope is that we will train them with mentors from CCS and then have people in the pipeline who are dedicated and ready to serve in CCS.”
Her ultimate goal is to inspire students by creating an environment where students and families want to be.
“No matter where I am serving, I want to create a place where they want to be,” she said. “Supporting staff is vital because they are on the front lines doing the hard work. I also want to continue ensuring every single student, no matter their needs, has full access to every part of education. Inclusion and access to services, education, and everything any child needs and wants are all important to me. That’s what drives us at Colerain.”