HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – Christopher Bentzel, Christian County Public Schools superintendent, has been with the school system for over 15 years, in a journey that began years earlier in the military at Fort Campbell.
After graduating college with a teaching degree, Bentzel joined the armed forces, leaving his Pennsylvania roots to settle down South. After five years at Fort Campbell, Bentzel met his wife and decided to transition out of the military to have somewhat of a normal life. “I didn’t want to be gone all the time from my wife” Bentzel said.
Soon after, he became a fifth grade social studies teacher at Belmont Elementary. “I went from the military to the classroom,” Bentzel said. “I liked teaching and I liked education.”
Bentzel’s journey brought him to elementary schools, middle schools and high schools throughout the district. “I liked Hopkinsville and the area,” Bentzel said. In 2015, he served as the principal at Christian County High. “That was probably my favorite stop along the way; it was a great experience.”
In 2020, Bentzel became the superintendent, starting right before the COVID-19 pandemic. “I was grateful and very lucky,” said Bentzel.
After rising to the challenge of the pandemic, Bentzel focused on student achievement, safety and facilities. “We are trying to provide for the whole student, not just the academic part,” Bentzel said. “We focus on wrap-around services, counseling, mental health, academics, athletics and extracurricular. I am just trying my best every day to make Christian County Public Schools a better place.”
School systems are critical to communities, explains Bentzel. “A public school system is the backbone of any community, it’s the foundation.” As a parent of five, Bentzel says there are a lot of opportunities including real world experiences that a child won’t get in a private or homeschooled environment. “The real world has all races, genders, all ethnic backgrounds, special-ed, nice people, bad people, good people,” Bentzel said. “A public school system has a lot of great things.”
This year, Bentzel has implemented tracking data from preschool to post graduation to see if students are becoming successful members of society. “Do they have a job, and are they self-independent?” Bentzel explained.
Going forward, Bentzel and the district are looking forward to the consolidated Christian County High School. “It is coming along well and on schedule,” Bentzel said.
This year, Bentzel is also focusing on adding early learning centers, moving sixth grade back to the middle schools, academics and monitoring student safety. “We also want to focus on budget and increasing wages of our staff here,” he said.
Outside of being superintendent, Bentzel focuses on his family, faith and enjoys watching the Philadelphia Eagles.