MOUNT VERNON – Superintendent Dr. Timm Mackley opened the Knox Educational Service Center’s 112th year on Wednesday by bestowing “Doctor of Thinkology” degrees on three more staff members.
The awards were presented during the ESC’s annual breakfast staff meeting at Mount Vernon Nazarene University.
“This is no joke. It’s important to me to recognize the significant educational contributions of these employees,” Mackley said.
Receiving Doctor of Thinkology degrees were:
– Kim Aritonovich, art teacher at The Learning Center.
– Melissa Carpenter, ESC treasurer.
– Jared Tarbert, the district’s IT manager.
Taking a page from The Wizard of Oz, Mackley continued a tradition he started three years ago by emphasizing the importance of experience over degrees and titles.
“I will say again that experience has helped me the most to be a better educator throughout my career. No disrespect to Ohio State University, but my PhD is pretty far down the list, he said.
Mackley is beginning his 17th year as ESC superintendent and his 54th year in public education.
“If the Wizard could confer a Doctor of Thinkology on the Scarecrow and universities confer honorary degrees all the time, I decided to take on the authority and power to present my own degrees to show respect for people who have put so much into education,” Mackley said.
Over the course of three years Doctor of Thinkology degrees have been presented to 19 employees.
Knox ESC operates preschools in Mount Vernon, Centerburg, East Knox and Fredericktown as well as the Knox Learning Center, a K-12 alternative school in Mount Vernon.
The ESC also provides a range of services to all five county public school districts, including the screening and hiring of approximately 200 classroom aides.