From running around the neighborhood collecting baseball cards in his childhood to being in charge of one of the top rated high schools in Missouri, Principal Jeremy Mitchell’s life outside of school can be unknown to the student body.

Growing up in Spanish Lake, Mo. Mitchell enjoyed sports more than anything. He attended St. Louis University High School (SLUH) and spent his time playing and watching basketball with his friends.

“My life revolved around sports growing up,” Mitchell said. “Playing basketball gave me a lot of experience, but at times, it was a struggle because I lived over 45 minutes away from school, which was very different from most high school athletes.” 

Mitchell had passion for teaching since high school but was unsure initially of what subject best suited his style.

“I took a future exams test, and due to my interests in coaching, as well as math, I decided to take the route of a math teacher,” Mitchell said. “When I took my first [calculus] class, I really struggled with it and soon decided it wasn’t for me, so I took the route of becoming a social studies teacher because that subject has always interested me.” 

After graduating high school, Mitchell attended University of Missouri (Mizzou) to become a teacher. Although he was focusing on school, he met someone that started to consume his time.

“My wife Stacey [Mitchell] is the most engaging person I’ve ever met,” Mitchell said. “I was just taking an ordinary walk back to my house one day. She was walking with a mutual friend of mine at the time, and when I stopped to say hi, she introduced me to her and it just took off from there.” 

After graduating from Mizzou, Mitchell took a series of jobs starting as a social studies teacher at Houston High School and Troy Buchanan High School. Soon after, Mitchell took on an assistant principal role at Windsor High School and Parkway Central High School. Mitchell eventually transitioned to Parkway West High School.

“In college, I only studied to become a teacher,” Mitchell said. “At the time, I had no desire to become an administrator. Towards my last few years of teaching, I thought to myself that I wanted to have a larger role and a more impactful role, so I became an assistant principal and really enjoyed that. So I decided to take it one step further and become a principal.”

Mitchell now lives with his wife, and his two sons, Jake Mitchell, a 10th grader, and Sam Mitchell, an eighth-grader. Just like their father, sports have become a common interest for the boys. 

“Both boys participate in a variety of sports, having played basketball myself, and my wife [has played] soccer,” Mitchell said. “The boys overall are very different, but they share a common bond through athletics.”

While Mitchell is proud of his accomplishments, he regrets not giving himself an opportunity to explore the world.

“I wish I would have found sometime or some year to live outside of Missouri,” Mitchell said. “I’ve lived in St. Louis pretty much my whole life. I wish I could [have] traveled abroad or taken a summer and lived somewhere and worked outside.”

Mitchell believes that helping kids develop has a great impact on their future success which is his greatest achievement.

“I take great pleasure watching West High students as well as my own children mature into adulthood,” Mitchell said. “I feel raising two decent kids is the greatest mark I can leave on this world.”