Perryville Elementary School will welcome a new principal on July 1, when retired high school principal Jeff Steffens assumes leadership. Current principal Jane Narrow has accepted the position of Chief Academic Officer and will begin her new duties at Central Office on July 1. Mr. Steffens joins Assistant Principal Leslie Ackermann at PES, which is home to 425 students in Grades 3-5.
Steffens retired in May 2022 after serving the district for 31 years. He joined the District 32 staff in 1991 as a teacher’s aide in Fran Bohnert’s classroom upon earning his bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Southeast Missouri State University. He coached three sports that year - high school football and basketball, and middle school track. The following year, he was hired as a fifth grade teacher and continued to coach all three sports. In 2001, he was named the district’s athletic director and PHS assistant principal in 2001, a job he held for 15 years. In 2016 he became the principal of his alma mater.
Even after he retired last year, Mr. Steffens has remained a familiar face on campus. “Mr. Steffens continued to drive his daily school bus route,” said incoming Assistant Superintendent Craig Hayden. “And he has happily come out of retirement several times to fill critical vacancies at our schools as a long-term substitute teacher. Jeff loves our schools, and has always been happy to assist us whenever he’s called upon.”