William D. Stetler, Class of 1969

Bill’s involvement in Hamburg High School activities was the foundation of his formative years. He played football, wrestled and competed in track, and he sang in choral groups and played in the orchestra and jazz band. He was active in student council and as chairman of the prom. Lessons learned from these activities would serve him well for the rest of his adult life. In 1973 Bill graduated from Heidelberg College in Ohio, where he was a member of the wrestling team and a member of the 1972 undefeated National Championship football team. His credentials quickly landed him a job as a math teacher, football coach and wrestling coach in Elyria, Ohio. In 1973 Hamburg High School served Bill well again as he married his high school sweetheart, Maureen McGrath Stetler, from the Class of 1970. They raised three children. While teaching and coaching Bill attended the University of Akron and earned his M.Ed. He became an assistant principal of Stow High School where he was the sole disciplinarian for 1,300 9th and 10th graders. While in this position he started a statewide movement called “Chemical Abuse Reduction through Education” (CARE). Bill spent the next 11 years as High School Principal and Curriculum Director in Louisville City Schools. As principal he received a Venture Capital Grant from Ohio Governor George Voinovich for instructional improvement. Bill entered the Superintendence at Lake Local Schools in 1996. He turned around this embattled school to become a state leader and nationally recognized by the KnowledgeWorks Foundation. He eventually worked with the Ohio Department of Education as Executive Liaison. He later served as Superintendent of Northwest Schools in Stark County, Ohio, and as a consultant for the Educational Service Center. Today Bill is retired and resides in Canal Fulton Ohio.