The next leader of Niles Community Schools started his first day like most students do.

He rode the bus.

“I thought it would be a lot of fun and it was,” said Dan Applegate, who was hired by the school board in January to be the new superintendent.

Applegate’s current title is superintendent elect. He will officially become superintendent June 1 after spending the next several weeks shadowing Interim Supt. Michael Lindley.

Applegate was wearing a pair of new brown shoes his wife bought for him as boarded the yellow and black No. 17 bus at Niles High School shortly after 7 a.m. Monday.

Over the course of the next hour, Applegate moved from seat to seat, making sure to talk with students from all the different grade levels as the bus made its way to Ballard Elementary School.

His main question — what would you do if you were in charge of school? — produced a lot of answers, ranging from extending recess, to reading more to playing more games.

“I said, ‘If you play games all day, how would you learn?’” said Applegate. “They told me, ‘Well, we’d take breaks to learn.’”

Many of the students told Applegate that they would make sure the school is safe. When Applegate asked if the students thought the school was safe, they told him “yes.”

Applegate spent the first part of the day touring Ballard Elementary before moving onto other schools.

He said he wants to spend the first couple days learning about the district from students and parents.

“I think it is a unique perspective — especially from students because we don’t always ask them a lot of things,” Applegate said. “The district’s and my primary responsibility is the children. It is easy to forget that when you are in a central office position because you are not with the students every single day.”

Applegate also said he is interested in getting a first-hand look at some of the safety and security issues that would be addressed if voters approve two bond proposals in the May 5 election.

“I can’t get to the information fast enough,” he said. “I am just anxious to go and get started.”

Applegate most recently worked as the assessment and accreditation coordinator at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana. Prior to that, he worked as the director of education and director of instruction at Niles Community Schools.

He was chosen from a pool of 23 candidates to replace former Supt. Richard Weigel, who resigned in February of 2014. Lindley began working as interim superintendent shortly after Weigel’s departure.

Applegate signed a three-year contract to lead Niles with an annual salary of $125,000.