2016 40 Under 40 Honoree: John Jungmann, 39

John Jungmann brings a fresh and progressive perspective to the 25,000-student Springfield school district. His 21st century efforts include the IGNITE program, which gives teachers needed resources to provide a personalized learning environment, and a three-year technology rollout of some 30,000 student tablets. Early efforts at Sherwood Elementary call for a child-centric approach designed to help students learn in collaborative and comfortable spaces. Jungmann knows children are the future of business and is in a leading role in the multicommunity GO CAPS program allowing students to engage with regional employers.   

What was your first job? Washing dishes at Ryder’s Cafe in Lamar. I hate getting my hands wet to this day because they spent so much time in those sinks.

What was your professional “aha” moment? When I was superintendent in Liberty walking through elementary classrooms filled with students who already knew the answer to so many of the questions the teachers were asking. I was inspired to think differently about student achievement, and we started down the road of creating EPiC Elementary, a school designed to flip classrooms from cultures of compliance to cultures of creativity.

What is your theme song? “Dream On,” by Aerosmith.

How many unread messages are in your inbox right now? Sixty-seven – I stress out if it gets above 100.

What is your best productivity hack? Stickies – an app on my desktop that replaced most of the Post-it notes that used to cover my desk. I try to keep one that has my top three priorities for the day to keep me focused.