Ted Hall Settles in as Dean of Portage Collaborative Montessori

It seems like Ted Hall had just become the dean of students at the Mary L. Evans Early Childhood Center, and now he's off to lead another school — Portage Collaborative Montessori.

Hall, who had been an associate principal at Hoover High before heading to the kindergarten center, takes over for Bob Roden this year as the Montessori school's dean of students. Roden had retired last school year.

Hall had talked to North Canton Patch in May about ending his career in education at the kindergarten center — a place where students were just beginning their educational journey.

But, when the kindergartners integrated into the elementaries as the district switched to all-day, everyday kindergarten, it seems Hall wasn't quite ready to end his journey in education.

He then found himself at the helm of the five-district school that serves about 200 students.

Hall says he's fortunate to be able to work alongside Roden and Jane Reifsnyder, program director for Portage Collaborative Montessori.

"Coming from North Canton Schools, working at the high school and the district and the early childhood center, and this being a preschool-through-grade-eight, it's wonderful because it's like a big one-room school house," Hall said. "We have the different ages, the different grades. It is such a productive school because we are such a quiet learning center where students are so engaged in learning."

Roden, former North Canton City Schools superintendent and parenting columnist for Our Town newspaper, said he's pleased Hall was chosen for the job because he's truly a fit.

"It's exciting for me to know that Mr. Hall has chosen to take this job on because when I left it ... I didn't want someone to come in and feel that it was just a job for them," Roden said. "My vision was somebody who had a passion for kids, who was smart, and who's willing to work long hours even though you only get paid for a few."

"He is that type of a person. I know he will work tremendously hard for the students and the staff. He cares genuinely about them."

Roden hasn't left the school completely, though. He continues to volunteer there, putting particular emphasis on a leadership development program he had started with sixth-graders.

"Our kids are generally very good and very fun to work with — which is why I keep coming back and working with them as a volunteer," Roden said with a chuckle.

Hall had told North Canton Patch in May "it would have been nice to have more opportunity as a building leader at the kindergarten/elementary level," and it looks like he got just that.

"This is a very positive environment, and you can just tell that," he said of his new place of employment. "There's a rich history in the successful 18 years of this Montessori program."