Central High School's new principal learned from family, mentors and Major League Baseball
Claudette Riley
Sitting behind the principal desk at Central High School, Jeremy Brown recalled a game-winning home run he once hit for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Celebrating in the locker room after the game, the outfielder was approached by famed manager Tommy Lasorda.
"He says 'Brown, do you know what your home run means?' And I say 'Yeah, we won the game,'" he recalled. "He said 'It means absolutely nothing because now that is in the past. What are you going to do tomorrow?'"
Brown, who spent three years playing professional baseball, said he reflected on that lesson while stepping into the principal job at Springfield's historic Central. In the past, it had been named one of the best high schools in Missouri.
"How I look at it is anytime we have success here in the building, we have had success," he said. "But, how can we continue the success and maintain the success day in and day out?"
The Arkansas native, who played basketball and baseball at Sylvan Hills High School in Sherwood, had to make a tough decision after graduation. He was offered a basketball scholarship and drafted by the New York Mets in the 43rd round.
He turned down the chance to go pro and enrolled in a college where he could play both sports. "I was not ready yet, to be honest."
Brown got a second shot in 2004 when he was drafted by the Dodgers in the 37th round. He spent three years with the organization.
"Getting the opportunity to watch how professionals carry themselves, day in an day out, was one of the best experiences," he said.
In 2007, sidelined by an arm injury, he hung up his cleats.
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He briefly flirted with the idea of a nursing career before following the footsteps of family members into the classroom.
His father was an assistant superintendent, his mother was a high school counselor, his grandfather was an athletic director and coach, and his grandmother spent 42 years as an educator.
In an interview with the News-Leader, Brown described calling his father with the news he planned to go the "educational route."
"He asked why...I told him it's been part of my life. It's the only thing I know," he recalled. "I also wanted to give students something that I didn't have during that time."
Brown, 37, explained he wants to make sure they are ready to meet the challenges they will face in college and careers.
"I want to make sure that I give students that opportunity to not only live in the moment but also start to prepare for their future," he said.
Brown attended a community college in Kansas before earning a bachelor's degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He followed with master's and specialist degrees at Arkansas State University.
He started his career as a physical science teacher and coach. He worked in public and charter schools, eventually moving into administration.
Most recently, Brown was the principal and athletic director for Arkansas' Scott Charter School, near Little Rock, an open-enrollment, college-preparatory "school of choice" for kindergarten through grade 10.
"We were adding a grade level each year," he said.
Brown, in his 11th year as an educator, was recruited by the Springfield district at a job fair two years ago.
He is working toward a doctorate in educational leadership at Arkansas Tech University and contemplating a dissertation on the International Baccalaureate program, which is offered at Central.
The city's second-largest high school, with 1,720 students enrolled this fall, is also home to the Springfield Scholars Program for highly gifted students in grades 6-8.
Brown acknowledged it is a big, complicated job but he has a strong team — assistant principals Lucas Clem, JoAnn Hite and Steve Spence — as well as an on-site mentor, Judy Brunner, a retired Springfield principal.
Brunner and fellow retiree Steve Seal teamed up to lead Central for the past two years. She said the athletic Brown, who played baseball and basketball at the college level, is highly competitive "in all the right ways."
Brunner and Seal started referring to the high school as "Happyville" and Brown plans to continue that mindset.
"Not to be cliché but he really is a kid magnet. He's very present out in the halls and in the classrooms. He understands good instruction. He is all about teacher collaboration in order to do a better job than they already are," Brunner said.
"He is eager to learn and to understand what is going on. He is very impressive."
Brown moved his family to Springfield this summer. His wife Megan, who was a principal in Arkansas, is a coordinator of school intervention at Parkview High School. They have two children, ages 7 and 9, enrolled at Wanda Gray Elementary.
Asked why he applied for the Central job, Brown said he was drawn to the school's "very rich tradition" and commitment to academic rigor.
He plans to spend most of the year evaluating the high school before embarking on any changes.
Each morning, he greets students with a fist-bump at the main entrance. He spends time in the cafeteria, goes to events, and visits classrooms.
"I try to be the same person, day in and day out, and show students regardless of who they are that they are important and we're here to serve them," he said. "I try to show everybody that Central is a great place to be. I want it to be a welcoming environment. I want my office to always be open for students."
Central is one of the city's most diverse schools. Brown is the first Black principal at the high school.
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Brown said school leaders have an opportunity to set high expectations and serve as an example for students.
"It is important to me for all students and just being the walking vision...for our students," he said. "One of the things I always try to tell our students is to strive for excellence every single day."
Brown said the key to improving the graduation rate is to build a rapport with students and find out what they want to do in life and if they understand what that goal will take to achieve.
"Every child's path is different," he said.
Ron Woodard, executive director of secondary learning, described Brown as energetic and enthusiastic. "He's a great fit for Central."
He said Brown has been learning students' names quickly and making connections with students.
"He has a very hands-on approach to building relationships and establishing rapport," he said.
Brown said his favorite part of being a principal is "seeing the smiling faces," something that is tough with required masking, but he seeks out those who seem down. He walks with them and tells them they matter.
"They are not a number," he said. "They are a face. They are important."
Claudette Riley is the education reporter for the News-Leader. Email news tips to criley@news-leader.com.