After an extensive search for a Superintendent to replace retiring Superintendent Robert Ralstin, the Manchester Local Board met in special session on July 1, 2013 and employed Mr. Craig Hockenberry effective July 29, 2013. Craig grew up in Northeastern Ohio in the small town of Malvern. Upon graduation from the College of Mount St. Joseph, where he was part of the school's first football team, he was employed by the Cincinnati Public Schools. His undergraduate degree is in Elementary education. He completed his graduate work in Education Administration from Xavier University.
Mr. Hockenberry began his professional career within the Cincinnati Public School system at Roosevelt Elementary as a sixth grade teacher in 1995. Roosevelt closed in 1998 and Craig remained in the Cincinnati Public Schools as the Assistant Principal of Oyler School in Lower Price Hill. In 2001 he was named the Principal of Oyler. Mr. Hockenberry has seen the transformation and growth from a K-6 building into a PK-12 Community Learning Center offering numerous community services such as the school based health center that includes vision, dental and counseling. Mr. Hockenberry has forged more than 130 different public and private partnerships throughout Cincinnati in order to secure resources and improve student achievement. Mr. Hockenberry has received numerous awards for his work in the school and the community. In 2009 he received the James N. Jacobs Award designating him as the Cincinnati Public Schools Administrator of the Year. That same year he also received the "Dream Makers" award from the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative for his school's work building partnerships, and was named Lower Price Hill Man of the year for his work in the community. The latest prestigious award for Mr. Hockenberry came on May 11, 2013 when he was given an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the College of Mount St. Joseph, where he delivered the 2013 Commencement address.
The Manchester Board of Education would like to welcome Craig and his wife Erin and their three children: Vivian, Gino, and Rocco.