Jeff Cleveland remembers the first time he realized he clicked with junior high students.
Chuckling, he recognizes the middle school era is not every educator’s cup of tea.
Cleveland– new principal of Greenfield Central Junior High School– was a band director years ago when he realized seventh and eighth graders have just the right mix of humor and coming-of-age that he loves.
“I thought, ‘Man, these middle school kids are kinda weird, but they’re really funny,’” Cleveland said. “It’s just a really neat thing to see how quickly the kids enjoy learning that independence.”
Now Cleveland is enjoying his first year at the helm, leading a team of junior high teachers and staff that find gold in teaching young teens independence before sending them off to high school.
Greenfield Central Junior High School has a brand new leadership team this school year. Cleveland spent three years as assistant junior high principal before being promoted at the end of the 2024-2025 school year. Kayla Arguello joined him as assistant principal, and Meghan Dawson rounds out the team as dean and athletic director.
All three have chosen Greenfield as their home because they felt welcomed by the community.
Cleveland has the unique perspective of being a dad in Greenfield before being an educator here.
Originally from the northern Indiana city of Elkhart, Cleveland’s background is in music education. He was a band director in the Fort Wayne area for five years, before teaching in Warren Township for six years.
The Cleveland family has lived in Greenfield since 2012. He earned a masters of education degree in 2012, principal licensure in 2017, and served as an administrator in Warren for seven years.
He became assistant principal of GCJHS in 2022, and was grateful to work in the community that he loved for a decade.
Even before he was hired in Greenfield, he appreciated the family-friendly vibe of the community.
“Greenfield is special because when it comes down to it, we’re all in it for our kids.”
During his first year as assistant principal at the junior high, Cleveland’s youngest daughter was a student there. Remembering the awkward transition, he said by the end of the year she turned around and admitted it was pretty cool having him in the building.
Cleveland said the junior high age is a time where students start to push adults away as they work on their independence. But they do that in many different ways.
“It can be awkward and silly, but this is also what allows us all to understand each other better,” he said. “I push students to accept everyone for who they are and that all opinions are important.”
In fact, Cleveland says some of the most influential teachers in his life were his junior high teachers.
“I never thought I would spend my career in middle school, but I will say that I would not change a thing about it,” Cleveland said. “Each day is truly an adventure and I love the journey that it takes you on.”
As students are working on who they are socially, he added, academics can sometimes take the back burner. This is something GCJHS teachers work on every day– developing a strong work ethic that will help them succeed in life.
Even difficult moments of discipline are worth the effort. It takes educators that are willing to put in plenty of time and patience.
“It takes an extra level of patience, thicker skin,” he said. “Every day they’re starting fresh. Really, it’s grace more than anything. (Students) realize, ‘I made some mistakes, but I get a do-over. I get to start again.’”
Cleveland has enjoyed chaperoning trips to Washington D.C. with students– also a time when young teens grow and travel without their families for the first time.
He was even able to train as principal at the end of the last school year. In the spring, retiring principal Jim Bever let Cleveland take the reins to understand how to mentor teachers and lead the school.
“I’m blessed to be here– I really am,” Cleveland said, adding that the announcement last spring at a staff meeting was a special moment. “When they announced I was going to be principal, everyone stood up and applauded, they were so happy. I know I have their respect.”
Over the last three years, Cleveland was able to help hire many of the staff members of the junior high. During the summer, he asked Kayla Arguello to join as assistant principal.
She was living in Greenfield anyway, having moved to the city three years ago while working at Muncie Central High School.
“Our son recently started with the Cougar Cubs (preschool) and we have decided to remain and raise our family,” she said. “Our schools offer many opportunities to our students of all interests and backgrounds, while still providing a quality education. It is a privilege to serve our schools and community. My family and I are happy to call Greenfield home.”
Arguello said staff, students and families have been incredibly supportive in the transition. Teachers work well together on teams, and administrators and counselors work collaboratively to support students and families.
“We value a caring, proactive approach that believes in supporting our students during this significant time in their lives between elementary and the beginning of adulthood,” she said.
Meghan Dawson had been a teacher and girls high school basketball coach at GC for the last seven years.
As she works on her master’s degree for educational administration leadership, she is glad to take on the role as dean and athletic director at the junior high.
“Ever since completing my student teaching, I have loved this community and have been welcomed with open arms,” said Dawson, originally from Pendleton. “I want to continue to work and give back to this wonderful community.”
All three are working well together to find their groove, Dawson added.
The dean of students generally deals with smaller disciplinary problems. The assistant principal works with schoolwide curriculum and occasionally tougher disciplinary issues. The principal leads the entire staff and ensures teachers have all the resources they need to succeed.
All three also spend time with students during lunch, a perfect time to get to know them in a relaxed setting.
Superintendent Dr. Harold Olin says he could not be more pleased with the smooth start the junior high leadership team has had in the first six weeks of the school year.
“Kayla, Meghan and Jeff are all having a positive impact on our students and staff each day,” Olin said. “They have quickly become a cohesive group of school leaders.”
Specifically with Principal Cleveland’s leadership, Olin said he admires his mindset to do whatever it takes to help students have a good educational experience.
“Jeff Cleveland is an amazing educator, who truly loves to be around middle school students,” Olin said. “He understands the curiosity that drives adolescents, and he also understands the importance of knowing each student’s interests. I suppose he picked that up as a band director, and he now multiplies that influence well beyond the classroom.”
Cleveland acknowledges he occasionally misses the music classroom. He will sometimes swing by the band room, pick up the drum sticks and show off his skills– much to the surprise of students who may not have known he’s a musician.
Cleveland says the first days of school are flying by. As his first year of principal, sometimes it feels like he’s drinking from a firehose because he’s learning so much. But he’s grateful for the support from junior high staff and administrators throughout GC schools.
“This staff what we have here is a staff that really loves working together,” he said. “They’re very open to what we have to do for the whole school. Custodians, lunch ladies, teachers, support staff– we’re all middle school people . We all love the challenges of helping students at this stage of their life.”
By Maribeth Vaughn
“Jeff Cleveland is an amazing educator, who truly loves to be around middle school students,” Olin said. “He understands the curiosity that drives adolescents, and he also understands the importance of knowing each student’s interests.“