St. Mary's Catholic School Principal Jeff Kieffer

 

He's just completed his first week at St. Mary Catholic School in Avilla - the first man to serve as principal since the school began educating young people in 1863.

But it's only Jeff Kieffer's first job in administration at this St. Mary's.

Kieffer undoubtedly has some St. Mary's logos in his wardrobe. Before taking over the helm in Avilla, he served as an assistant principal at St. Mary School in Alexandria, Ind. Before that? He was the principal at St. Mary School in Muncie.

Kieffer presided over his first day at St. Mary's in Avilla on Tuesday, taking over for Kathy Garlitz, who retired after 11 years as principal at the school at the end of the 2009-2010 school year.

"It's big shoes to fill," Kieffer, 43, said. "(But) I like to do things well."

And he likes to drive, which is probably a good thing.

He is currently making the 80-minute commute from his Hartford City home to Avilla. He said he is doing so so his son can graduate with his senior class at the school he has been attending. Kieffer and his wife also have a sophomore, and an eighth-grader. His eighth-grade son is attending St. Mary's in Avilla.

Kieffer said he and his wife will discuss whether or not to relocate at the end of the current school year.

For now, he is doing what he's felt called to do since he was a young soldier in the U.S. Army.

After graduating from Blackford High School in 1985, Kieffer joined the Army to help pay for college. While in the Army, he took tests which qualified him for the West Point Prep School, a preliminary to West Point.

"They had some really good instructors," Kieffer said. "It was a great learning experience."

It was then Kieffer discovered his love for teaching. He dropped out of the prep school after one semester because he wanted to teach in parochial schools and did not want to make the long-term commitment required of West Point graduates.

He hasn't regretted his decision.

"You're able to share your faith," he said. "You're able to grow your faith every day."

Kieffer said he fell in love with St. Mary's School in Avilla on his first visit, and that feeling was only enhanced when he met some of the parents and staff who are so involved with the education process.

"It just felt like home immediately," he said.

Kieffer said he likes anything related to technology or computers. He is working on getting all of the students' grades at St. Mary's online so parents can keep track of how their students are doing whenever they want to.

The enrollment at the school, including preschool, is 177.