Meeting Recap

Greg Wiemken gave the invocation and led the pledge.

Rotarian of the Month

President Barry Kuzmickas presented Jim Morehouse with the Rotarian of the Month.  Jim has been involved in many of the club's projects, and recently has taken the lead getting the companion club up and running.  A preliminary meeting was held last Wednesday and the official first meeting of the companion club will be Wednesday January 21st at the Historical Society.  If you know any prospective members who have a conflict with our Friday morning meetings the companion club may be an option.  You can reach out to Jim for more details.

We also showed the new prospective member page and video that Colton put together.  You can visit https://trcs.info/learn to see that page, or share it with prospective members.  (trcs = The Rotary Club Strongsville).

Club Elections

The club unanimously elected Dan Meaney, Pete Nixon, and Pat Hayes, to be directors of the club next Rotary year.  We are still looking for a Vice President and Recording Secretary as those roles will be open starting July 1st.

New Member Bio

Bill Wingler is the Principal of Strongsville High School, now in his sixth year leading the school. He is also a longtime Strongsville resident and the proud father of three daughters, all Mustangs. His eldest, Sarah, lives independently and works at Baird Financial and is also a member of the Strongsville Rotary Club, where she proudly sponsored Bill’s membership. Sydney is a senior at John Carroll University majoring in environmental science, and Olivia is a mathematics and actuarial science major who recently graduated early.

Bill’s career path has been anything but traditional. He began as a special education teacher in Bay Village, working with students with behavioral disabilities. After taking time away from education while raising his family, he earned a nursing degree and spent 20 years as a registered nurse, including work in the NICU at MetroHealth. He credits nursing with sharpening his ability to triage, prioritize, and make calm decisions under pressure—skills that later proved invaluable in school leadership.

Returning to education, Bill taught in an autism classroom in Medina County while continuing PRN nursing. After applying to dozens of administrative positions, he accepted a K–8 principal role with Cleveland Metropolitan School District, followed by four years as principal at Brooklyn High School. In 2020, he joined Strongsville High School—just days before schools shut down for the pandemic—making his first year especially challenging.

Despite that start, Bill is deeply proud of Strongsville High School’s culture and accomplishments. The school has earned a five-star rating for three consecutive years and ranked second statewide in student growth among more than 370 high schools. He emphasizes that beyond the rankings, Strongsville High School is a close-knit family of nearly 2,000 students and 250 staff members.

Bill joined Rotary to help rebuild and strengthen the club’s presence in the high school and to support youth engagement in the community. He believes strongly in encouraging students to stay, contribute, and build their futures in Strongsville.

Last year, Bill experienced a serious health scare that resulted in the placement of multiple heart stents. He credits timely intervention—and some persistent encouragement from those around him—for his recovery and sees it as a reminder of how much there is still to do, both professionally and through Rotary service.