June 2024
This month, Zionsville Monthly is pleased to feature Karen McDaniel on its cover. McDaniel was unanimously approved by the ZCS school board as ZCHS’ next head principal, effective July 1, 2024.
McDaniel sat down with us to discuss her background and her vision for leading the high school amid a period of growth and change throughout the district. With extensive experience in education and a deep commitment to student success, she shared her plans to foster a supportive and dynamic learning environment. McDaniel emphasized the importance of adapting to the evolving needs of the community while maintaining high academic standards. She is excited to work collaboratively with staff, students and parents to navigate this transformative time and ensure the high school thrives.
A Course Change That’s Led to a Fulfilling Career Path
Growing up on a family cattle farm in southern Illinois, McDaniel developed a passion for veterinary work and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in animal science and chemistry from Southern Illinois University. McDaniel also developed a penchant for tutoring and coaching her friends while in college and realized that her true calling was to be an educator. She earned her master’s degree in secondary education from the University of Southern Indiana, and she taught science and held several leadership positions in both rural and growing communities such as Evansville, Avon and Carmel. Now, she is preparing to begin the new school year as head principal at ZCHS.
“I always wanted to be a large animal vet and had plans to move out West,” McDaniel shared. “I’m proud to say that my mom, who’s 77, is continuing on with our cattle farm after my dad passed away unexpectedly two years ago. Our farm is in deep southern Illinois, right on the Ohio River where Illinois, Missouri and Kentucky come together. One of these days, when I retire, I’ll be going back home to my beef cattle farm and will watch the river go by.”
McDaniel continued, “I worked at vet clinics during high school and college, and the closer I got to the end of it, the more I realized that I enjoyed the teaching aspect more. I just love talking about genetics and the cell cycle and explaining detailed complex chemistry and biology. I started substitute teaching and got into a school where they had an immediate opening for a long-term substitute for a science classroom, and that was it. I loved it and went back to get my teaching certificate, and I got my first [teaching] job in Evansville.”
From Evansville, McDaniel went on to Avon High School, where she became an assistant principal. Later, she accepted a position at Carmel High School and left CHS after 16 years, as an associate principal.
McDaniel added, “I decided to make the leap to Zionsville, and I’m thrilled. It felt like a really good time in my life for a transition, and I’m excited to be here.”
A Fresh Perspective Coming into a Growing Community
Throughout her career, McDaniel has embraced various roles to better help kids. As she moved from classroom teaching to department chair, assistant principal, associate principal and finally principal, McDaniel shifted her focus from individual lessons to broader systems that support students. McDaniel developed a passion for organizational leadership and observing behaviors to understand what works and what doesn’t. She shared that her goal has always been to improve systems to better serve students, parents and teachers. Despite the administrative demands, McDaniel shared she still loves visiting biology classrooms to reconnect with her roots and to remind herself why she’s in this role and in this field.
“I think what I’m most proud of what we’ve done [at CHS] is that we put systems in place to help make sure that kids feel like they have a small school setting so that they don’t fall through the cracks,” McDaniel said. “We’ve had to look at things differently and had to adjust how we identified as a high school. We broke things down into smaller or different ways of showing support.”
When asked what McDaniel brings from her experiences, coming from the larger and second lowest-funded school district in Indiana to a growing and lowest-funded school district in the state, she replied, “It is up to us to create an atmosphere for our kids to feel like everybody has a home. I think as Zionsville continues to grow, we need to make sure that we are hearing and seeing all of our different families and that they feel like ZCHS is their home, too, and we can put additional systems into place to make sure that we are welcoming in every way.”
McDaniel continued, “I’m excited to see and meet the student body. What is also important for me is identifying groups that might, will and do feel underrepresented and [making] sure they’re around the table with us as leaders as we plan for what our students engage in. I’m going to have a principal advisory committee, and I want to make sure that I have as many groups of students represented as I can. I want to know what we can do to make ZCHS the best experience.”
McDaniel added, “One of my mentors at Carmel says, ‘Let’s not be too quick to get to no.’ I want to be a ‘yes’ person as much as I can for our kids, our families and our teachers. I’m very excited to understand the Zionsville culture and community—its old parts and new parts. I love that everyone’s an eagle here … from kindergarten to high school. On a side note, the eagle is my favorite animal. My dad and I would look for eagle nests and watch for them … there are several eagles back where I lived. That is a big memory that I have, so it feels natural to be a ZCHS Eagle. I’m so excited, and I absolutely feel like I’m in the right place. I think my dad would be super proud that I’m here.”
Karen McDaniel Career Overview
Began administrative career at Avon High School.
Moved to Carmel High School in 2008.
Served as Assistant Principal for Student and Special Services for 12 years.
Served as Associate Principal for the last four years.
Active board member of:
National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO).
Indiana School Resource Officer Association (INSROA).
Trained Indiana School Safety Specialist.
Experience in supporting the broader community of learners:
Autism Cadre Leader.
Member of the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative (JDAI) in previous county.
Member of an Indiana Association of School Principals (IASP) legislative advisory committee to the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) Education Secretary.
