ST JOHN | Lake Central School Corp, introduced its new superintendent, Gerald Chabot, at a special meeting on Thursday.

Chabot takes the reins on July 1, when longtime superintendent Janet Emerick retires.

Chabot, superintendent of schools in Blackford County, Ind., the past six years, said he'd had a chance to meet his first Lake Central student, a sophomore, on Thursday night.

"I intend to meet as many of the 10,000 (Lake Central) students as I can," he said.

Chabot already has ties in the area. His daughter, Natalie, is assistant manager at the Centier Bank branch in Schererville, and his son-in-law attends law school at Valparaiso University.

The Lake Central School Board adopted a resolution approving Chabot's contract.

Emerick said she was pleased with the board's choice and predicted a smooth transition. Emerick has been Lake Central superintendent for the past 14 years.

Chabot, who lives in Hartford City, earned his doctorate from Indiana State University and his master's in education from the University of Missouri. He is also a graduate of Anderson University and Ball State.

His first order of business, among other things, will be getting to know his new community as well as Lake Central teachers and students, he said.

"Lake County is an area rich in diversity, being that it is so close to Chicago," and is a mix of rural to the south, suburban in the central region, and urban to the north, he said.