Meet Our 2025 Grand Marshal:
Mindy Cline, Retiring Principal at Primary Village North, Centerville Schools
“Building Today's Stars into a Brighter Tomorrow.”
This year, the Americana Festival salutes someone whose entire career has been spent educating and molding our community’s youth. The trustees are pleased to honor retiring Centerville Schools principal, Mindy Cline for her considerable contributions to our community and values her role in helping to mentor so many of community’s young people.
Chances are if you graduated from CHS, you crossed paths with this very special resident and beloved teacher and principal and were better for it. For these reasons, and on the occasion of her retirement after three decades of service to our community, the festival is pleased to honor Ms. Cline as our 2025 Grand Marshal, as someone who exemplifies this year’s festival theme, Building Today's Stars into a Brighter Tomorrow.
About Mindy Cline
Mindy (Morgan) Cline has spent a lifetime as a Centerville Elk, first moving into the community during the blizzard of 1978 to attend Village South Elementary School. She graduated in 1986 as vice-president of her senior class and went on to attend THE Ohio State University, where she received her B.S. in Early Childhood Education. While there, she served as president of Delta Gamma Sorority, where she also received the Conway Chase Award and was recognized as the OSU Outstanding Sorority Woman in 1990.
On graduation day, when she came home to her apartment, she had a note on her chalkboard to “Call Frank DePalma ASAP!” She did just that and he offered her a teaching job in Centerville that same day!
She jumped back and forth between Cline Elementary and Centerville Kindergarten Village during her first decade with the district, teaching preschool, kindergarten, first, and second grade students and serving as the preschool director.
In 2007, she was named principal at Primary Village North – the very same building where she began as a student! She will retire from this position on July 31st, 2025, after having served our community as an educator for 34 years. During her time as principal, PVN received recognition as a National School of Character, Purple Star School (military-friendly), Connect to Nature School, and secured a Platinum Level School of Excellence in Prevention.
Of her time at PVN, she reflects: "Working with the wonderful children, amazing staff and school community at PVN for the last 18 years has been one of the biggest joys of my life! There is no better place to learn and work!"
She has been recognized by the Centerville Education Foundation for Excellence in Education, by the Ohio Art Education Association in 2025 for being a Distinguished Educator for Art Education, West Region, and will be inducted into the Centerville Education Foundation Hall of Fame this April, receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Mindy lives in Washington Township with her husband, Mike (married for 33 years) and their dog, Cooper. They have two grown children, Alex and Morgan who both graduated from CHS. Alex graduated from OSU and lives in Springboro with his fiancé, Haley. Alex is currently working for RLS and Associates. Morgan graduated from UD (Undergrad and PA school). She lives in Montgomery with her fiancé, Brady. She currently works as a Physician Assistant for Beacon Orthopedics in Cincinnati. And yes – that’s right – they have a wedding in June and another one in October!
In her retirement, Mindy and her husband look forward to traveling and spending more time with family and friends. She is an avid pickleball player, enjoys playing at many of Centerville-Washington Park District amazing parks and is also a Pilates enthusiast! She shared that she also loves to read and looks forward to spending more time reading!
Registration for the Grand Marshal Dinner at Benham’s Grove on July 3, 2025 begins June 1st.