Voices of ZCS:
First Face,
Lasting Impact
How Lynn Kissel helps families find connection, confidence, and belonging from day one in Zionsville Community Schools
Before a student steps into a classroom, before the first bell rings, there is often one person who helps make everything feel just a little more certain.
In this Voices of ZCS conversation, ZCS Superintendent Dr. Rebecca Coffman sits down with Residency and Enrollment Specialist Lynn Kissel to talk about what it means to welcome families into Zionsville Community Schools and how those first moments can shape an entire experience.
ZCS Residency Specialist Lynn Kissel sits down with ZCS Superintendent Dr. Rebecca Coffman in this Voices of ZCS feature
Welcoming Families, Building Belonging
Connection, Community, and the Moments that Matter Most
For nearly two decades, Lynn Kissel has been a constant in Zionsville Community Schools. From her early work with the Zionsville Education Foundation to roles inside school buildings and now as the district’s residency and enrollment specialist, her impact has been both steady and personal.
“I’ve grown up here alongside my kids and alongside this community,” Lynn shared. “It’s meant so much to be able to raise my family here and also serve the district in so many different ways.”
She is often one of the very first people a new family meets.
And she understands exactly what that moment means.
“I think parents just want to feel like they’re making a good decision,” she said. “They want their kids to be in a place where they feel safe and supported.”
So she starts with connection.
“I always try to learn what their kids love to do outside of school,” Lynn explained. “That helps us get them connected right away.”
Sometimes, that connection comes in a simple but meaningful way.
“I’ll say, ‘Would you mind if I put my mom hat on?’” she said. “Because I’ve been here for a long time, and I can help guide them through some of those decisions.”
Those small moments matter.
“You can just see a little bit of relief on parents’ faces,” she said. “And for students, especially high school students who are transferring, that’s a big move. They’re thinking about where they’ll sit at lunch, who they’ll connect with. So helping ease that is really important.”
Lynn’s work extends far beyond enrollment. Through initiatives like Webs of Support, she helps students at key transition points understand the importance of relationships and the people who anchor them.
“We talk a lot about building your web,” she said. “Who are those people in your life who support you, both in tangible ways and in the things you can’t always see, like encouragement and perseverance?”
From fourth graders preparing for middle school to eighth graders stepping into high school, that message stays consistent.
“It’s something they’re going to need to do for the rest of their lives,” Lynn said. “So helping them understand that early is really powerful.”
Inside the district’s Customized Learning Program, she brings that same focus to helping students understand themselves.
“Not all kids are told they’re leaders,” she said. “So I think it’s really important that every student understands they have leadership skills.”
Through tools like DISC assessments and one-on-one conversations, students begin to see their strengths more clearly.
“It’s really about helping them find what they’re good at and giving them confidence to lean into that,” she said.
But ask Lynn what stands out most over her years in ZCS, and she won’t point to a single moment.
Instead, she talks about the everyday.
“There are so many moments,” she said. “A lot of times it’s just watching other people do what they do so well.”
She points to teachers, counselors, transportation staff, and food service teams. People who create connection in small but impactful ways every day.
“I have a real soft spot for transportation,” she added. “Even just seeing a student start to relax on the bus or give you a little smile...that means something.”
She also recalls welcoming families from across the country and around the world.
“We had a family come in from another country, and they didn’t speak English,” Lynn shared. “But they were so happy to be here. They felt good about the school, about the community. And just knowing they felt reassured, that’s really meaningful.”
Her connection to Zionsville goes beyond her role. As a parent, volunteer, and community member, she has experienced ZCS from every angle.
“I take a lot of pride in this community,” she said. “And I think a lot of people who work here feel that way.”
She speaks about the many ways students can find their place through clubs, activities, and community organizations, and the traditions that bring people together.
“I love things like the Brick Street Parade,” she said. “It’s just a great example of our kids and families being part of something bigger.”
Just as powerful as the work happening inside schools is the way the broader Zionsville community shows up for students.
“We have such a giving community,” Lynn shared. “There are so many people who are willing to step in and ask, ‘How can I help?’”
Through her connections with local organizations and the chambers, she has seen firsthand how businesses and community members make a difference.
“Sometimes it’s a student getting their very first job and finding a mentor,” she said. “Other times it’s someone stepping in to meet a need so a student can have an opportunity they might not have otherwise.”
For Lynn, those moments say everything.
“Our schools and our community are so connected,” she said. “People truly care about our kids, and they show up for them every day.”
At its core, Lynn’s work is about something simple, but essential.
Helping people feel like they belong.
And often, that begins with a single conversation.
“I just always assume they’re going to be our family,” she said. “So I treat them that way from the very beginning.”
Because in ZCS, connection is not an afterthought.
It is the foundation.
"Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel."
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