Since the start of the 2023-24 school year, many new changes have been made. A new cellphone sign, enforcing lanyards and changing from numbered seating to zoned seating in the cafeteria are a few to name.

Another one of these changes brings in two new assistant principals to the administration team, John Morse and Matt Weimer.

Graduating from SHS in 1999, Weimer spent a total of 17 years in Decatur Township before coming back to Perry Township. He took a job as an English teacher for his first 11 years. He then spent two years as a dean, two years as an assistant principal, and two years as a principal in Decatur Township. When SHS had announced that two assistant principal positions had opened up, Weimer knew he couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

“Opportunities here don’t come up often,” Weimer said. “So when I saw it posted, I knew I had to try.”

Morse also came from Decatur Township where he taught high school and middle school band. He then became an administrator, starting in Muncie Community Schools for a year, and then working three years as an administrator in Decatur, before finally working as an assistant principal at SHS.

Morse had always loved Perry Township. For the 12 years he’s worked on the Southside, he lived in the township. 

“I taught high school for most of my teaching career,” Morse said. “I really like interacting with high school students and supporting them, so getting back to a high school situation was exciting for me too.”

The two work back in student services, having to work with students and their behaviors. Both having worked in discipline before, they were already knowledgeable about their roles. After being interviewed, the administration team realized that they could trust both Morse and Weimer with these assistant principal positions.

One of the deciding factors that went into choosing the next two assistant principals was the ability to multitask. Being able to do this skill is vital, especially when working in student services.

“If you cannot juggle 30 things at once and wear 10 hats at the same time, you will not survive back there,” Assistant Principal Joe Horvath said. “And they were able to survive and do an amazing job.”

According to Weimer, the culture of SHS is a lot different compared to Decatur Township. Being a new assistant principal in a school that’s foreign to him, there’s a lot to learn.

“The expression drinking out of a fire hose comes to mind, just way too much to take in all at once,” Weimer said. “But that’s the job.”

Since the new assistant principals are going to work with students, they believe it’s important that a good relationship can be maintained. Making a positive impact on the students is one of the most crucial parts of being an assistant principal in student services.

“I want to make sure that students know that I’m someone they can come to for help,” Morse said. “I’m always gonna be honest with them and transparent … my goal is that we can keep kids in school, and in classes, and help them be better students and leaders.”