SHELBY — Graduation day at Shelby High School is the highlight of the year for Principal John Gies.
But it’s not the pomp and circumstance, the speeches or even the satisfaction of another school year complete that makes the day his favorite.
“There’s always those one or two kids every year that, boy, we had to drag them to victory,” he said. “It took everybody here working hard to get that kid to graduate.
“When we see them walk across the stage, that’s a special feeling.”
Gies is retiring at the end of this school year after 35 years in education.
The moments he’s watched students succeed — in class, in sports, in the arts and otherwise — are the memories he said he’ll cherish most.
“Our band and choirs have been always strong at contests, going to state,” Gies said. “Our athletic programs have been doing amazing the last few years. Our theater program is great. We have clubs that continue to do things in the community to help make the community a little bit better.”
“Our kids just continue to do wonderful things.”
‘When there is a need, the town rallies’
Gies spent the first decade of his career as high school social studies teacher, with stints at Marion Catholic and Madison Comprehensive High School. He taught one year at Shelby High School while finishing up his master’s in educational administration.
“I applied for the middle school principal job (at Shelby) right as I was done with my master’s,” Gies said. “Steve Bell was the superintendent, and he basically said, ‘You need more experience.”
“I said, ‘Well I understand that. I’ll go get some more experience and I’ll come back.'”
That’s exactly what he did. After two years as assistant principal at Firelands High School, Gies took a job as Shelby High School’s assistant high school principal under Dave Jones. He became the school principal following Jones’ death in 2006.
Gies, a 1984 graduate of Shelby High School, said there are certainly advantages to working in the school system he grew up in.
“A lot of our students, I know their parents and their grandparents. So that’s been nice,” he said.
Never was that sense of community stronger for Gies than when his daughter Lindsey battled a life-threatening infection that led to a 53-day hospital stay. The people of Shelby responded with a prayer vigil, a fundraiser and a homecoming parade.
“But it wasn’t just our family. We’ve seen that with many families over the years,” Gies said. “When there is a need, the town rallies.”
Gies said that support shows up for the school district as well.
“You’ve got to do things the right way and be good stewards of the money and do the things you’re supposed to do. But if you do that, this town will support you,” he said. “We see it every year.”
Gies has been principal of Shelby High School for two decades
Gies said making the choice to retire was tough, but there were multiple reasons behind it.
“Over the years, I’ve just seen too many people not be able to enjoy retirement. They just kept working and then something happened — a health crisis or something along those lines — and I thought, ‘If I ever get to the point where I can retire and I’m able to do so, I’m going do it,'” he said.
Gies also said he doesn’t wish to overstay his welcome.
“I think it’s time for the staff to hear somebody else,” he said. “They don’t need to just keep hearing my views and how I want to do things. I think it’s time for a change for them, too.”
There’s also the fact that working in education can be a demanding job.
“Twenty years of being a principal is a long time. It’s a lot of late nights. It’s a lot of time away,” he said.
“Once Christmas break hits it’s a sprint to the end of the year. You’re starting the scheduling process for next year. You’re working on graduation, getting ready for that. You’re working on state testing, because that’s coming up pretty soon.”
‘I’ve never seen anybody care about kids more than him’
Nevertheless, Gies said he’s enjoyed his career — he still does. His favorite part of the job is getting to know students and staff.
“When you’re getting frustrated and it’s just one thing after another, you need to get out of your office and go sit in the classroom. Just watch good teaching and watch kids interact,” he said, recalling a piece of advice Jones gave him years ago.
“Go out to the commons, talk to kids out there, and remember why we’re in the profession — because it’s about the kids and the staff,” he added.
It’s the reason Gies tries to spend at least a few minutes in the cafeteria every day and attends as many concerts, sporting events and school plays as he can.
“I’ve never seen anybody care about kids more than him,” said high school secretary Tawny Cox.
Attendance secretary Melissa Sensmeier agreed.
“He knows how to have conversations with the kids. They trust him. He believes in them,” she said. “He sees their potential.”
Scott Gurney, who teaches calculus at the high school, said it will be hard to imagine Shelby High School without Gies.
Gurney described him as a man who leads by example, lives by the golden rule and supports the teachers who work for him.
“John is an amazing man of strong character and his future retirement is a huge loss for all of us,” Gurney said. “Administrators come and go, but I can definitely say that John Gies has left a huge impact on the Shelby community and all of us at Shelby High School.”