Originally from Indianapolis and residing in Valparaiso, Beth Krutz leads the way in developing young teens at La Porte Middle School. Krutz is the Principal at La Porte Middle School and loves working with both staff and students.
“It is fun and rewarding working with kids and teachers every day,” Krutz said. “Making sure our teachers have what they need, setting high expectations, and watching the kids thrive in the classroom. It’s fun to see kids learning new things and experiencing middle school life.”
Krutz has been developing students and teachers for quite some time now. She has also been in several different school corporations including Chicago Public Schools, Merrillville Community Schools, and Valpo Community Schools.
“I started out as a teacher for about the first 12 years and then I’ve been in administration since then,” Krutz said. “I just like learning and growing and meeting new people and having new challenges.”
When you spend as much time in education as Krutz has, you notice the differences between communities and school corporations. Krutz loves to learn about the community she teaches in and witness the different dynamics La Porte students have.
“It’s an awesome community. The agriculture program we have here, I’ve never experienced that,” Krutz said. “So, for me, that’s a new learning experience to learn about farming and agriculture at an academic level.”
In addition to their agriculture program, La Porte Middle School also offers plenty of Project Lead the Way classes and project-based learning to prepare students for further education and adult life. Krutz believes in this system because it offers her students different ways and opportunities to learn important skills.
Krutz has also been part of the major shift to La Porte Middle School. Originally, there were two middle schools in La Porte: Boston and Kesling Middle Schools. But that all changed a couple of years ago, and Krutz was an integral part of finishing the transition to one middle school.
“I would say I was in the finishing part when I came on. I was tasked with helping bring the two staffs together to work together for the betterment of La Porte. It was nice to meet the teachers and figure out which practices and procedures we wanted to continue with,” Krutz said. “They were really a joy to work with and the teachers have really gotten to know each other.”
Another major shift that Krutz has been a part of that is not exclusive to La Porte is how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the education system. Despite the challenges and hurdles, Krutz and her team have seen positive outcomes.
“Really I think a big change is communication. Communication is a key to our success. And then, you know, making sure parents are involved as well,” Krutz said.
La Porte Middle School has begun implementing many methods of communication such as newsletters, Facebook updates, website updates, different educational tools, and the Parent Teacher Student Organization. Krutz believes that this has created more involvement and communication from parents.
Other ways La Porte Middle School is overcoming the challenges of the past year are by hosting successful events like their after-school tailgate. Now, after a year of waiting, La Porte Middle School is gearing up to host their first Fun Night of the year this Friday.
Although there have been many changes and obstacles, La Porte Middle School is still the same great community of teachers it always has been.
“You know, as an administrator or as a teacher, you’re really practicing education because you’re always trying to get better. It’s always making sure we’re doing the best we can to help the community in our school,” Krutz said.
Krutz does a great job, but she doesn’t do it alone. Krutz thanks all of her teachers, as well as the upper administration and superintendent for helping make the community and school environment a great place to be.
Outside of being a great educator and a phenomenal leader, Krutz is married with four sons. Krutz’s husband is also in education and is the principal at Merrillville High School. Three of her sons have opted to go the business route, but she does have one son who is in his first year as a math teacher. It’s safe to say that education is a family affair for Krutz.