Otter Valley Principal Page
Michael Ruppel - Principal
Michael Ruppel became Principal of Otter Valley Union Middle and High School in July 2022. He spent his 8 previous years at Springfield High School (VT), serving as a math teacher and instructional team leader, then an instructional coach, and as Assistant Principal from 2019 - 2022. He was named a Rowland Fellow in 2017 to focus on implementation of school-based systems for proficiency-based learning and flexible pathways. Prior to moving to Vermont, Michael was a math teacher and department chair at Central High School in Providence, Rhode Island.
Michael has a Bachelors’ Degree from the University of Delaware (2010), a Masters’ Degree from Providence College (2014), and completed his leadership training at the Upper Valley Educators Institute in 2018. When not at school, Michael enjoys running, cooking, hiking and otherwise exploring the outdoors in Vermont.
Patrick Binder - Associate Principal
Patrick Binder is the Associate Principal at Otter Valley Middle and High School. He grew up a farmboy in Iowa and has since lived and worked in education in the Midwest, Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, Panama, Kazakhstan, Guatemala, and now Vermont. He holds degrees from the University of Iowa, University of Alaska, and the Southern University of New York. He has been in education since 1995.
His interests in effective feedback and collaboration, drive his passion for community-building. You can easily find him anywhere in Otter Valley by his laughter echoing through the rooms and halls.
Joel Jones - Associate Principal