Keith Holderman had several reasons to turn down an administrative job at Timber Ridge Middle School in 1997.
His daily commute was two hours, he had a young family, and was attending school.
He took the job anyway and retired in May 2023 as the longest-serving middle school administrator in District 202.
Holderman came to Timber Ridge as a dean in 1997. He previously taught science in another district.
Holderman became assistant principal in 1999 and remained in that role until his retirement in May.
“I’ve had other chances for other positions but (Timber Ridge) was my second home.” Holderman said.
“Even though this is a building, it’s the people here – it’s the students, it’s the staff, the parents, it’s the support of the district office, the Board of Education that makes this a place where I didn’t want to leave.”
A good assistant principal needs to enjoy people and build relationships, Holderman said.
They must listen to parents, students, staff, and teachers, he said.
“And you listen no matter how long it takes to get that relationship built,” Holderman said.
The biggest challenge in his 26-year career was handling the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
He praised retired principal Constantine Kariotakis for his leadership during that time including creating daily video announcements to students.
The video announcements were a great way for the students – especially incoming sixth graders who never set foot inside Timber Ridge – to get to know the administrators, Holderman said.
“We’re starting to recover now but the consistency the kids had, they’ve missed benchmarks, especially socially,” he said about the pandemic.
Kariotakis, who retired in 2022, was the fifth principal Holderman worked with in his career.
It was a pleasure to work with Holderman, he said.
“He’s been the one constant that has been there, and everybody knew Keith,” Kariotakis said.
Holderman’s legacy will live on at Timber Ridge thanks to the Keith Holderman All Heart Award, created by Assistant Principal Lindsay Bandy and Dean of Students Denise Bauer.
They created the award because Holderman did everything with his whole heart, Bandy and Bauer said.
The award is given to students who exhibit kindness, inclusivity, and acceptance toward others.
The inaugural award winners were eighth graders Dominik Barrios and Evalyn Prochaska.
Holderman was surprised by the award.
“It was unexpected, but I am very appreciative,” he said.
“I put my heart and soul into Timber Ridge and loved every minute of it.”