To the Community, Staff, and Students of St. Charles Public Schools:
 

It is an honor becoming the next Superintendent of St. Charles Public Schools.  My wife, Sara, and I are so blessed and thankful.  The last two weeks introduced many new experiences.  As I have shared, we live in a house on Lake Tetonka in Waterville.  Waterville experienced its third 100-year flood since we moved in 2014.  This one was significantly more damaging than the others.  The 2024 version broke the 1965 record by twenty or more inches.  Thankfully, we intended to rent a place close to St. Charles and recently moved into that place over the last couple weeks. Also, Sara and I were able to walk around the county fair in town with Laura Reisdorf as our guide. It has been such a pleasure getting to meet dozens of people connected to St. Charles.    We are so very excited for this journey.
 

You may be asking who this new superintendent is.  My wife and I are high school sweethearts from NRHEG, New Richland, MN.  Both of us graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato.  Upon graduating college, we moved to Colorado to experience city life, which was so very different from rural Minnesota.  For thirteen years we enjoyed skiing and snowboarding in places like Vail and Breckenridge while finding time to hike fourteen mountains.  We enjoyed having access to all the amenities that a city provides as well.  Eventually, the need to move home and connect with family on a deeper level became a driving force.  Currently, we are blessed to own a lake home that we built in Waterville, MN, on Lake Tetonka within an hour of both our families.
 

My work experience includes administrative experience.  I also spent nearly a decade as a school librarian.  When I returned to Minnesota, I wanted to work on becoming a master educator in English.  USC in Wells, MN, gave me that opportunity.  Other work experience that shaped me include being a head wrestling coach, football defensive coordinator, and a director for both National Honor Society and Student Leadership among many others.  Eventually, the desire to become a superintendent continued to surface.  This past year Ellsworth Public Schools blessed me with the experience of being a superintendent while also teaching college English.  That opportunity, experience, and preparation set me up for this very important role for St. Charles Public Schools. 

There are challenges ahead.  One of the biggest reasons being the superintendent at St. Charles is so important to me is the care and support the community has for its schools.  Recently, buildings and facilities were updated that support futures for students.  The commitment by the community gives current and future students options post graduation.  Students can pursue college or other options due to the diverse paths students can take including CTE course work.  The other critical element that St. Charles has is a dynamic appreciation for teachers as noted in the Stakeholder Report.  As a teacher, I know the importance of teachers and students - teaching and learning - and the role the community serves in maintaining that culture.  That environment is a school’s entire essence, it’s entire purpose.  Maintaining the culture of learning, as expected by the community, will be my entire focus as I help lead St. Charles schools, its community, and its students in striving to be a lighthouse school district in Minnesota. 

With Thankfulness,

Robert Routh

Robert Routh, Superintendent of St. Charles Public Schools