Pentwater superintendent to retire

Pentwater superintendent to retire

By Allison Scarbrough, News Editor

PENTWATER — Scott Karaptian is set to retire after a 37-year career in education, with eight of those years serving as Pentwater Public Schools superintendent and principal.

Karaptian’s last day will be June 30.

As a young educator, he began as a substitute teacher before landing his first permanent job as a part-time shop teacher at Three Rivers High School in the Kalamazoo area. He then secured full-time employment at Parchment High School in 1994, where he taught for five years.

He continued his own education by obtaining a master’s degree in educational leadership and took an assistant principal job at Coloma High School. The 100-mile round trip commute contributed to a decision to return to Parchment as assistant principal there. “It was only a half mile from my house.” 

In 2003, the Michigan Army National Guardsman was deployed to Iraq. When he returned from active duty, Karaptian was promoted to high school principal. He continued that job until 2016 when he came to Pentwater. 

Karaptian enlisted in the national guard in 1983 when he was a sophomore in college to earn money for his education. “We were part of the 156th Signal Battalion out of Kalamazoo, Michigan. I started out as a lineman climbing the telephone poles. We provided all the tactical phone and internet to the other services.” He served 19 years and six months — just six months shy of retiring — when he was deployed. His deployment lasted 14 months, and he retired from the national guard in 2004 after returning. “Our whole unit came back full with no casualties.”

He obtained his PhD from Eastern Michigan University through its cooperative program at Grand Valley State University. “It took quite a few years, but I finished my PhD in 2017.”

The timing seems right for the 60-year-old’s retirement with his wife Christina retiring from PNC Bank at the end of December following a 36-year career. Christina is a Shelby High School graduate, said Karaptian.

The couple plans to stay in Pentwater during their retirement. “We are staying here — this is home.”

When asked what he plans to do during his retirement, Karaptian said with a smile, “Whatever I want.” Plans include traveling; spending time with grandchildren; working in his woodshop at home; and “just enjoying Pentwater.”

The couple have two daughters — Hannah (Ryan) Brown and Ariana (Cam) Hewitt —  and two grandkids Archie, 3, and Leo, 10 months. Hannah and Ryan are expecting another child next month, he said.

When asked what he will miss most when retires, he said it will be the younger students. “I will miss what I feared the most.” Having taught at the high school level for decades prior to coming to Pentwater, he was apprehensive about his lack of experience with young students. Those anxieties soon faded away after getting swarmed with high fives and hugs from the young kids.

Karaptian looks back on his tenure at Pentwater Public Schools with pride. Some accomplishments include securing safety grants for more cameras in the school — which now total 45; adding a school resource officer; implementing classroom lockdown devices; and introducing electric busses to the small district’s fleet. The district is seeking a $7.59 million bond proposal, May 7, for improvements, including renovating the front school entrance for added security; implementing a new heating system; constructing a new roof; and adding new flooring and furniture. Voters rejected two previous proposals that included new construction, but this one is a scaled-back version with only improvements to the existing building. It is a 1.21 mill increase for 17 years.

“Pentwater is just an amazing and special place. This district is just amazing — we have wonderful, caring teachers and staff; our students are fantastic; and our families are very supportive. I’m just blessed to have been a part of this team. It’s really been a great experience.”

The Pentwater Board of Education hired the West Michigan Education Research and Development Foundation to spearhead the search for his replacement. The selection of a new superintendent is expected around the end of April with a July 1 start date.

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