Many know of him, more have seen him snapping pictures around the North Polk School District, but what people do not know is the immense work that goes on behind the scenes.
Hunter Fleshner is the Director of Communications for all North Polk buildings. Through his incredible work, the district gets timely news and stories from around the district, enjoys knowing the next few weeks’ schedule, and is able to connect with one another.
I was able to have the pleasure of spending the day with Fleshner during, in his own words, “a good day to tag along” back in October.
Since then, I have not only been able to further understand the work that Fleshner does, but gained a new sense of appreciation for said work that I believe others should also know about.
When I first walked into the administrative office, where Fleshner’s office is located, it was business all around. As we sat in a conference room, I experienced the sometimes back-to-back meetings that Flesh must balance throughout his busy day.
The first was a weekly meeting with Superintendent Michael Kline in which a document that is sent out throughout the district is updated with any new and/or changing information. This can pertain to new/changing statewide laws relating to schools and budgeting for parents to be aware of.
Following this meeting, he then met with Activities Director Matt Eichorn as during this time, Addy Pender was hired to be the new softball coach for North Polk High School.
As I explained the shadowing I was doing for Fleshner, Eichorn beamed as he recounted the story of how, when his hiring was first announced on social media, Fleshner took the initiative to change his once green colored tie to a red in reference to the Comet colors.
While Fleshner insisted that “it wasn’t that hard,” Eichorn insisted that “it was the details [in Fleshner’s work] that were great.”
When welcoming Coach Pender to the Comet Nation, I noticed that Fleshner had done the same thing as with Eichorn, replacing Pender’s old school logo with North Polk’s.
Following the meetings, Fleshner and I went out to the building grounds of the new baseball/softball fields. Back in October, the groundwork for the fields was only in the beginning stages, yet Fleshner took detailed pictures from different angles. Through his connections with building company DCI Construction, he has since been continuously able to update the North Polk Community on the building of the almost finished fields from multiple angles.
After touring the building grounds, we ended our time together by visiting the Central Elementary students during their time with high schoolers for Unity Day. As the students were entertained, both Fleshner and snapped some pictures of the event and then returned to the high school.
Throughout my time spent with Fleshner, I was not only able to see a busy day for him, but also understand the important and vital role he plays for our community. So to a reader that may see him at games, maybe thank him, as without him, there may not be the same amount of connection within the Comet Community.
