If you use Facebook and follow the Ohio County Schools page, you’d know that our county has one of the best social media presences in the state of West Virginia.  But who makes all these posts to keep the OCS community informed?

Meet Mrs. Karin Butyn! Mrs. Butyn is the Director of Public Relations and Marketing at Ohio County Schools. But, ending up at the board office wasn’t always her plan. 

“I had wavered between two fields my junior, senior year of high school, I was very interested in pursuing musical theater, and I also had a very natural knack for English and for languages. It really came down to pure luck that I didn’t know which route I was going to take. I was a natural helper,” said Butyn. 

However, thanks to the popular 90s movie Dangerous Minds, Mrs. Butyn knew that education was going to be her major. 

Before making her way to the board office, Mrs. Butyn worked as an English Teacher at Weir Middle School, before then becoming an assistant principal Bridge Street Middle School.

So, what does a typical day look like in her position at Ohio County Schools?

“Everyday is different, which is very different from classroom teaching … I do a lot of adjusting on the fly. So I might be out dropping off Crumbl Cookies to the Student of the Month, and get a call that we have an emergency situation, or get a call that there is a parent who needs to work specifically with me, or that we have a Partner in Ed that wants to drop off a check, and we need to make arrangements for that,” said Butyn.

Her number one priority is to see kids. For the Ohio County Schools system, they are what matter most.

One of Mrs. Butyn’s duties in her position is running the Ohio County Schools Facebook Page. With close to twenty-two thousand followers, many want to stay in the know with what’s happening in our county. One way Mrs. Butyn does this is by doing a student spotlight. 

“Sometimes your story comes from a kid who has had a week and managed to get up here, and ace a test. I mean, that’s just as worth celebrating as a football game victory. And I think the more that we can highlight the good in kids, the happier they are in their environment, too,” said Butyn. 

However, keeping families up-to-date isn’t always an easy task. With ways of communicating changing all the time, it’s hard to keep up with the ever-changing digital world of today. 

“I try to work a lot with administrators on information to put in an all call when to do an all call versus a social media post, because we do have people that have never set foot on social media, so I want to make sure they’re getting the same information as our millennial parents and our our Gen Zers who are very accustomed to social media now,” said Butyn. 

Ohio County Schools’ social media presence has grown significantly over the past year. By sharing the inner workings of our school system, Mrs. Butyn keeps families informed on day-to-day school life. In a system as large as ours, communication is key. 

Outside of Ohio County Schools, Mrs. Butyn is heavily involved in the Wheeling community. One of these involvements includes writing for Weelunk, an online publication showcasing what’s going on in and around Wheeling. 

Weelunk gives Mrs. Butyn a creative outlet. Not only does she enjoy getting to showcase her community, but she also gets to hone in some of her English skills. 

“The most exciting thing about Weelunk for me is the vast majority of stories I pick up involve seeing something new. And I take my kids so it’s an automatic excuse to show them something and experience something with them,” said Butyn. 

Mrs. Butyn has two sons, ages three and six, who love to see what Wheeling has to offer with her. 

As an educator, she believes that the best piece of advice is to always love kids. No matter what. When things get hard, the students are always the number one priority. 

“I think, as a communicator, never stop seeking to share the goodness of truth, like never stop trying to highlight what’s worth highlighting. Don’t let negativity impact the work that you do, because the work that you do matters, because in this case, it matters to kids, and there really isn’t anything more important,” said Butyn. 

Being involved in the Wheeling community has its perks. Wherever Mrs. Butyn goes, she feels as if she always has a connection. As a Wheeling native and being actively involved musically both semi-professionally and professionally, she continues to strengthen her connections. 

Every day, her family continues to inspire her. 

“Everything I do is to try to make life different and better for my kids. I want them to grow up in an environment where they’re confident in how they speak, where they understand and value good communication, and know it can be effective,” said Butyn. 

When she’s not on the go, she loves to explore the Wheeling community with her family. Mrs. Butyn is an on-the-go type of person and loves to stay involved. 

Ohio County Schools Assistant Superintendent, Mr. Rick Jones, sings nothing but praise for Mrs. Butyn.

“When this job became open and she was interested in it, it was very appealing for me to hire her because she has both a lot of talent with writing and reporting and creativity that also could help me with some administrative-type things,” said Mr. Jones. 

Not only does she showcase students, but also what is happening in the valley kids can benefit from. With a partnership with the City of Wheeling Recreation Department, she keeps families informed about what’s happening. She also keeps a watchful eye on Mr. Jones.

“I just speak my mind all the time. So when she’s with me, she always follows up what I say by saying ‘What he meant to say was…’ She spends a lot of times correcting me, making me say it a lot better than how I want to say it, which is just how it is,” said Mr. Jones.

One thing that everyone should know about Mrs. Butyn is that her number one goal for Ohio County Schools is to celebrate the school system.

“I like the combination of her sense of humor and intelligence and her just talent has made her a really special person to all of us, because we really enjoy her company and everything that she brings to the table. She’s just an overall awesome person,” said Mr. Jones

Next time you see Mrs. Butyn is the halls, make sure to stop and say “Hello!”