Mindi Ritchie was hired at the August 10, 2020 Board of Education meeting to fill the open position for a building principal at Galesburg High School North. “Mindi Ritchie has proven herself to be a dedicated educator who brings a particular expertise in the area of Social-Emotional Learning. As the district continues on the path of a focus on educating the whole child, we are in need of a leader who specializes in this area. We are very confident that Mindi is the right person at the right time for this challenge,” according to Superintendent, Dr. Asplund.
Mrs. Ritchie is a class of 1995 graduate of Galesburg High School. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Spanish in 1999 from Knox College, and a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Dayton, in Dayton, OH, in 2003. Mrs. Ritchie began her professional career at Bridgeway, INC. in Galesburg, where she worked for several years as Licensed Professional Counselor, and was later promoted to the role of Director of Child and Adolescent Services. Mindi considers herself a lifelong student and earned Professional Educator Licenses in School Counseling (2008), and School Administration (2013) from Bradley University. She was hired as the Career and Technical Education Coordinator for Galesburg High School in 2009, and enjoyed serving GHS as a School Counselor and Department Chair, and later as Assistant Principal for the past three years. In her tenure at Galesburg High School, Mrs. Ritchie has led from a strength-based approach to empower those she serves to facilitate change on many levels. Most recently she has also been developing and leading both a comprehensive mental health program and a district-wide Social and Emotional Learning Program for District 205.
When asked why Mrs. Ritchie chose to pursue the Principal role at Galesburg High School North, she stated, “GHS North has a proud tradition of offering a supportive learning environment that meets the needs of students that haven’t thrived in a traditional learning environment. I am most excited to join the GHS North family and be a part of the excellence that has already been established there in regards to serving students in need of alternative education services, while also creating new structures and avenues that can be of benefit to all students in #205. While this school year certainly presents unique challenges for every school district; I also view our work at this time as a catalyst for enhancing how we individually and comprehensively meet the varied needs of all of our learners while also holding them accountable in regards to pursuing goals related to graduation, career endeavors, and adult life in general."
Mrs. Ritchie currently lives in Galesburg with her husband and two children who attend Churchill Junior High School. Her lifelong devotion to the Galesburg community drives her passion to achieve change and continuous improvement for our district and its students.