By Dr. Melissa Stewart, Superintendent

There is something special about a neighborhood.

A great neighborhood is more than buildings and streets. It is people. People with different talents, different responsibilities, and different ways of contributing…all working together to create a place where others feel known.

That idea is the inspiration behind a new series: Dr. Stewart’s Neighborhood.

Throughout this school year, I am stepping outside the traditional classroom to introduce you to some of the incredible Braves who help create the Indian Hill experience every day. We will spend time with our professionals in Maintenance, Transportation, Administrative Assistants, Food Service, School Nursing, and Paraprofessionals. Each plays a different role in our neighborhood. Each makes an important investment in our students.

You may not always see their work. But our students experience its impact every single day.
And there is no better place to begin than with our Maintenance team.

RETURN ON INVESTMENT = Student Learning Maintained
During Summer 2026 alone, our Maintenance team completed 545 work orders and identified more than $157,500 in improvement projects. Those numbers are impressive, but they tell only part of the story. Our skilled professionals perform construction, plumbing, HVAC, electrical work and repairs in-house, reducing our reliance on outside contractors and helping us responsibly manage taxpayer resources. They perform preventive maintenance that extends the life of expensive equipment, identify problems before they become major expenses, and protect the facilities our community has entrusted to us.

This summer, you could see their craftsmanship across our campus.

Our team custom-built bookshelves for Indian Hill Middle School, constructed new District Office space, created an ADA-accessible ramp and overhauled the Counseling Office at Indian Hill High School, redesigned the primary school library and student workspaces, completed safety improvements at Indian Hill Elementary School, redesigned our Alumni Office, created a new high school safety check-in station, and completed painting, carpeting, cabinetry and repairs throughout our schools.

There is also an enormous amount of work you don't see.

Chillers are maintained. Boilers are protected. HVAC and electrical systems are serviced. Equipment life is extended. Emergency failures are prevented. Potential capital expenses are avoided.

That is an important return on investment for our community.

But the most important return is what happens for our students.

Our Maintenance team maintain our buildings, improve our facilities, protect taxpayer investment, avoid unnecessary costs, keep our schools operating, and keep our students learning.

Our district goal this year is to ensure every student is known, challenged, and supported to demonstrate meaningful academic growth. Reaching that goal takes exceptional educators. It takes an entire neighborhood of professionals creating the conditions for great teaching and learning.

At Indian Hill, ALL really does mean ALL.

Welcome to Dr. Stewart’s Neighborhood. I can't wait for you to meet the Braves who make our neighborhood such a special place to learn, work, and grow.

Privileged to make students’ dreams come true,

Melissa

Dr. Melissa Stewart
Superintendent
Indian Hill School District
Posted September 28, 2026