{"id":60812,"date":"2026-03-16T09:42:42","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T13:42:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=60812"},"modified":"2026-03-16T09:42:43","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T13:42:43","slug":"for-the-record-ryan-henschel-15-solves-for-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/for-the-record-ryan-henschel-15-solves-for-success\/","title":{"rendered":"For the record: Ryan Henschel \u201915 solves for success"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Editor\u2019s Note: This profile is the fourth of six stories about students and alumni leading up to the 10th annual LovEMU Giving Day on April 1. For more information about the day and how to donate, visit <\/em>love.emu.edu<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leading a new school comes with its own set of challenges, says Ryan Henschel \u201915<\/strong>, co-principal of Rocktown High School in Harrisonburg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For one thing, there isn\u2019t much of a blueprint to follow. There\u2019s no history to draw on or precedent for how things are done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re still developing the identity of the school,\u201d Henschel said. \u201cAnd we\u2019re creating all the processes from scratch to keep things running smoothly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

It\u2019s a formidable task, but also one filled with excitement and possibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere aren\u2019t as many \u2018bad habits\u2019 we need to undo before setting the tone for the school,\u201d he said. \u201cIn that way, it\u2019s a little easier.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Henschel, in his first year as co-principal, leads over 1,000 students and several EMU alumni on staff at Rocktown, which opened in fall 2024. He previously served as its assistant principal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally from New Market, Henschel said the opportunity to play collegiate baseball drew him to EMU. During his four seasons on the team, the starting pitcher contributed to the Royals\u2019 growing success. In 2015, as a team captain, he helped lead the squad to its first ODAC Tournament appearance since 2002, when former MLB catcher Erik Kratz \u201902<\/strong> was on the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baseball helped him grow, teaching him to manage his time, strengthen his organizational skills, and develop as a leader. It may have been what brought him to campus, but the school\u2019s close-knit community and small class sizes led him to stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI got to know my professors,\u201d he said. \u201cAs an athlete, I knew almost all the other athletes and coaches and would interact with them. That played a huge role in making me feel like I truly belong to this community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EMU is a Division III school, which means it cannot offer athletic scholarships. For Henschel, receiving the President\u2019s Scholarship<\/strong><\/a>, which is awarded to EMU students who maintain a 3.0 GPA, made a real difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat scholarship helped reduce the financial burden both during and after my time at EMU,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Henschel chose to major in math education because he \u201creally enjoyed math.\u201d \u201cYou don\u2019t hear that a lot,\u201d he said. \u201cIt came easier to me than other subjects, and I could help other students learn math, which gave me great joy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After graduating from EMU in 2015, Henschel taught math at Harrisonburg High School until 2023, when he was named assistant principal. When Rocktown opened the following year, he joined the new school as assistant principal. Henschel, who has a master’s degree in education from James Madison University, became Rocktown\u2019s co-principal last fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His wife, Rachel Richard Henschel \u201915<\/strong>, a teacher at Spotswood Elementary School, is also an alum of EMU\u2019s acclaimed teacher education program<\/a>. He credits the program, and its immediate, hands-on experiences, with preparing teachers to serve and lead in the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his first semester at EMU, an introduction to teaching course placed him in a local school practicum, where he could quickly translate course theory into practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s when I fell in love with teaching,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since welcoming students two years ago, Rocktown has earned awards across a wide range of categories, from its innovative architecture and cardiac arrest preparedness to its music education and athletics programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs a new school,\u201d said Henschel, \u201cwe\u2019re currently in the exciting phase of cultivating a culture of excellence and seeing our students reach their full potential.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your support helps students pursue a quality college education without financial barriers. Join us for the 10th annual LovEMU Giving Day and contribute to the scholarships that empower future EMU students. On April 1, let\u2019s show that our generosity knows no bounds\u2026for the record!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s Note: This profile is the fourth of six stories about students and alumni leading up to the 10th annual LovEMU Giving Day on April 1. For more information about ... read more about For the record: Ryan Henschel \u201915 solves for success<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":302,"featured_media":60815,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[266,5176,5583,17562,5594,5598,5730],"tags":[7946,18831,18898,6051,17869,18829,18068,18899,18043,18897,14126,17841,18477],"feature":[17427,17426,17241,17422],"class_list":["post-60812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-baseball","category-campus-community","category-digest","category-education","category-mathematical-sciences","category-undergraduate-programs","tag-baseball","tag-for-the-record","tag-harrisonburg-city-public-schools","tag-leadership","tag-lovemu","tag-lovemu-2026","tag-lovemu-giving-day","tag-math-education","tag-presidents-scholarship","tag-rocktown-high-school","tag-ryan-henschel","tag-scholarships","tag-teacher-education","feature-emu-home-page-feature","feature-myemu-feature","feature-news-feature","feature-news-landing-page-main-feature"],"yoast_head":"\nFor the record: Ryan Henschel \u201915 solves for success - EMU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2026\/for-the-record-ryan-henschel-15-solves-for-success\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"For the record: Ryan Henschel \u201915 solves for success - EMU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Editor\u2019s Note: This profile is the fourth of six stories about students and alumni leading up to the 10th annual LovEMU Giving Day on April 1. 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