Greenfield-Central’s principals are learning and growing just as much as their students, improving their leadership through a statewide program.
G-C has five administrators who are graduates of the Indiana Principals Leadership Institute. Harris Elementary School Principal Sarah Greulich is the latest to complete the program, and the list also includes Meg Welch, Devon Marine, Jason Cary and Dan Jack.
“This was truly an amazing experience for many reasons,” said Greulich.
The program places principals in cohorts with others– Gruelich, for example, met with principals from the Eastern Hancock, New Castle and Northeastern Wayne districts. They were able to share ideas and be mentored by a principal from Tippecanoe County.
The first year, she said, has each principal reflect on their personal leadership and complete an action project. The second year, Greulich partnered with two staff members from Harris to improve the elementary school.
“The IPLI program improved my focus as a principal and developed great professional connections,” she said. This program really grew me and had a strong impact on me professionally.”
The Indiana Principal Leadership Institute is a program of Indiana State University and Bayh College of Education. It was created by the Indiana General Assembly in 2013 to strengthen the education of the state by focusing on school principals and increasing their leadership capacities.
As of this spring, IPLI has directly impacted 552 principals, more than 22,000 teachers and nearly 325,000 students in Indiana in its 10th year of operation.
There are 19 principals in Hancock County that have completed the program, according to a report from ISU. G-C educators Meg Welch and Devon Marine graduated in 2023.
Welch, principal of Weston Elementary School, said IPLI is among the most exceptional programs she’s taken part in as a principal. Her first year focused on an action research project– she delved into how meeting after school for an hour each week with Weston staff would boost morale, productivity and student achievement.
“Relationships are very important to me, and I appreciated this time with staff each week to hear about life at school but also hear about their interests, their families and if they were struggling with something that I might be able to assist them with,” she said.
The second year of the program, Welch focused on removing barriers at Weston so all students receive high-quality instruction and methods of support so they can be successful. She went on to obtain an Education Specialist Degree.
“I honed my leadership skills, gaining insight into where I needed to improve to better serve our students, families and staff more effectively,” she said. “This experience also offered a roadmap for Weston Elementary staff to enhance learning, collaboration and student support. Ultimately, this program made the most significant positive impact on our students, and that is the most crucial aspect of our daily work.”
Marine was principal of Greenfield Intermediate School when he completed the program, and is currently the elementary curriculum director. He continues to learn: Marine is pursuing a doctoral degree in educational leadership.
“I really enjoyed the collaboration aspect of the program,” he said of IPLI. “I was able to work with leaders around the state and hear all the great things happening in their buildings. I also learned a lot from the presenters and through the project process during the second year.”
G-C schools have a longstanding tradition of its leaders expanding their knowledge: While IPLI has graduated successful leaders for the last 10 years, longtime administrators at Greenfield-Central schools even took courses prior to its creation. Jim Bever and Matt Davis, for example, completed the Indiana Principal Leadership Academy some 20 years ago.
G-C Superintendent Dr. Harold Olin said principals must model the importance of lifelong learning, and that’s why he’s a huge proponent of the IPLI program. Teachers and students are counting on principals to stay current, he said.
“The expectations from the General Assembly, as well as the members of our own community, are constantly evolving,” Olin said. “Therefore, our school leaders must stay up to speed on all of this.”
Jason Cary, current principal of Greenfield-Central High School and incoming assistant superintendent of the G-C district, completed the IPLI program in 2018.
“Too often, as building leaders, we are stuck in the grind of day to day activities in our buildings,” he said. “We are putting out fires, we are answering questions, working with staff and students, etc. IPLI forced me out of my building and really made me work on myself as a person and a professional. I learned about my own leadership style, where my blindspots were, and how I could grow as a leader.”
Dan Jack graduated from IPLI in 2017 when he was principal of Greenfield Central Junior High School. From there, he was able to jump into classes at ISU and earn an educational specialist degree and superintendents license. A few years later, he became director of human resources at G-C schools, which he describes as “the perfect job for me.”
“I still correspond with many of my peers that I worked with in that cohort,” Jack said. “We had accomplished authors give presentations and work with our teams to broaden our thinking and challenge us to be better leaders. We learned how to think about challenges differently, and pushed me to get better. One of my favorite parts of the program included bringing in teacher leaders to take part in working on school improvement. Working with my team in that atmosphere was a lot of fun and the ideas we brought back to our school had a big impact on the culture of the building.”
By Maribeth Vaughn
