“Dr. Short is properly feared by the student body and staff; we respect him, and we know he respects us just as much.”
Perrysburg High School senior Grace Reiter’s appreciation for her principal, Dr. Michael Short, runs deep, and she’s not letting him retire without sharing how she feels about him.
“He’s never been the type of person to talk down to us or make us feel inferior to him; he’s very approachable. It has always meant a lot to me that he goes out of his way to say ‘hi’ in the hallway and takes the time to listen to my ideas, because it makes me feel special, like I have a significant influence in school life.”
Dr. Short retires June 30 after 17 years as principal of his beloved PHS–and he’s wistful.
“The average tenure for a principal in the U.S. is three to five years,” Dr. Short said, implying that his tenure can be attributed to his passion for the job. “While I’m looking forward to getting away from the day-to-day grind, I will miss the crowds at football games, the kids at pep rallies, the Crystal Concert, the kids performing the Hallelujah Chorus. I have loved this work, the people I work with and, of course, the students.”
Dr. Short didn’t start out as a teaching aspirant. He majored in communications at the University of Detroit.
“I was in radio and TV and did some producing and radio work, thinking that would be my career,” Dr. Short explained.
When he started managing theaters for the two high schools in his district of Troy, Michigan, he noticed he had a “real connection to the kids,” listened to that nudge and ultimately received his master of arts in teaching from Wayne State University.
While attending school full-time, he worked for the Michigan Renaissance Festival for six summers. When he received his master’s degree, he taught at his alma mater and then for Springfield High School in Holland.
“They had a part-time English position and wanted a TV production class,” Dr. Short remembered. “After I interviewed with Cynthia Beekley, the superintendent at the time, she told the theater director, ‘I hired this one for you.’ I ended up being her technical director, and we got married just two-and-a-half years later.”
The connection with students that led him to teaching has remained throughout his career.
“It was a connection I felt quickly and wanted to have throughout my life,” he said.
At some point, he decided to become an administrator. receiving a doctorate in education from the University of Toledo and a certificate in administration from Bowling Green State University.
Ultimately, he landed at PHS, “a special place to be,” he said. “Perrysburg has a lot to offer families.”
When asked to share the highpoints of his career, he mentioned the Blue Ribbon awarded to PHS in 2014.
“It is a significant recognition from the U.S. Department of Education. Deb Drew, Dean Ferguson, Tom Hosler and I traveled to Washington D.C. to receive the award. It was a celebration of the things we value. That year, 30 high schools received it, and we were the second largest.”
He also mentioned the annual diversity day for teachers, which allows them to hear from people from a wide variety of backgrounds, races, faiths and more.
“It’s a group effort and shows how hard our teachers and staff work on behalf of the district and the students,” Dr. Short explained. “It’s a great example of what we can accomplish in this district.”
Another example is the enrichment schedules.
“We created opportunities for kids to meet for 90 minutes in each class over two days and for teachers to work together to prepare them for applying to college, taking the SAT and ACT tests.”
Other highpoints he noted include “everything else, which all blends together into an amalgam of memories.”
Many people stepped forward to share some thoughts and memories about Dr. Short.
From Dr. Kadee Anstadt, superintendent and CEO, Washington Local Schools: I certainly have a lot of fond memories of Mike’s tenure at Perrysburg. One of my favorites speaks to his dedication to continue to encourage excellence at Perrysburg High School.
A group of us attended a professional conference in 2012. Mike came out of a session truly inspired by hearing a previous high school leader from Colorado. A lot of principals at schools like Perrysburg High School would have enjoyed the session and maybe bought the book; Perrysburg High School was already a leader in the region. But, Mike invited the speaker to dinner with us, bought his book for his leadership team, and encouraged improvement and change that led to Perrysburg High School being named a Blue Ribbon High School in 2014. That’s an amazing accomplishment for any high school, but especially one that was already high achieving. Mike always wanted Perrysburg High School to be better. His legacy is the culture of excellence he has inspired in staff and students.”
From Ben Marshall, PJHS teacher: Mike became the principal of Perrysburg High School when I was a sophomore there. He has made a large impact on my professional life.
When I was a senior in high school, I was in a Penta program called teaching professions. At the end of that course, we had to go through an interview with several administrators from schools in the area. Mike was one of the interviewers, and, at graduation, when he handed me my diploma, he said, “See you in four years.” It really meant something to me that my high school principal showed that he had enough confidence in my abilities that he was willing to say that he wanted me to work for him at PHS one day.
When I graduated from BGSU with my teaching degree and license, I found myself working a long-term substitute teaching position at PHS with Mike. He told me that I would have a position at PHS permanently as a science teacher the next year if I stuck around. But, I had to move to Columbus. Mike was a reference for me, which helped me land a job in Canal Winchester.
When my wife was pregnant with our first child, we decided to move back to Perrysburg to be closer to family. I applied for a job at PHS that I did not get. Mike had to be the one to break the news to me. I could tell he was heart-broken and felt really bad that they couldn’t hire me. But he didn’t stop going to bat for me. I applied for jobs at Bowling Green and Penta. Mike put in a really good word for me at BG and they hired me. So, we were able to move back up to Perrysburg.
Three years later, Perrysburg Junior High and High School were hiring science teachers. I applied for both. Mike sat in on the interview with the junior high principal knowing full well that I am not licensed to teach the high school position. He did it anyway to make sure the junior high principal had a good impression of me. It worked. I was hired as a science teacher at PJHS, and I’ve been here ever since.
He also recently hired my wife to be the STEM teacher at the high school.
Mike is a trustworthy guy with high integrity. He has done some great things for this school district, and he will most definitely be missed. I know I owe him many, many thanks for what he has done for my wife and me.
From Nate Ash, PHA physics teacher: Whenever I’ve been around Mike in the halls, at an assembly or at nearly any school event, he talks to the students and calls them by name. That personal connection has a lasting impression on students.
Dr. Short is really supportive of faculty members who are engaged in educational research and innovation. Whether that comes in the form of assessment, pedagogy, classroom technology or social-emotional connections, he is interested in lifting up teachers who are trying to improve their craft.
From Deb Drew, English teacher, department chair, PHS: Dr. Short has done a phenomenal job. He has held us on course in calm seas, and in the roughest of seas.
His 17 years have built PHS into the community of learners it is today. Those learners are more than just students–they include faculty and staff as well. Mike has always supported and empowered his teachers, which has allowed them to work in the ways that are best for students.
We are the school we are because of his guidance and leadership. In 2014 we were named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education, for being an “Exemplary High Performing School.” This designation is based on five consecutive years of high performance, and schools have to be nominated by their state Department of Education.
Dr. Short created a community of pride in our school that year by purchasing “National Blue Ribbon School” shirts for every student and every staff member at PHS. We all wore them proudly on a designated day. This is just one example of how he has worked to create not only an outstanding academic program at PHS, but also a coherent high school community that is focused on the same goals.
He has kept the best interest of students at the forefront of every decision he has made at PHS, and this cannot be evidenced better than when our world changed in the spring of 2020. The longer schools were closed last spring, the more it became apparent to everyone that life as we knew it at PHS was not going to return any time soon. The approach of May meant the approach of graduation, and all over the country this event was marked by ceremonies that were virtual, drive-bys, drive-thrus, and other creative takes on the event that has been a rite of passage for so many throughout the years.
I distinctly remember Dr. Short wanting to have an in-person graduation to honor and recognize the hard work and dedication that the Class of 2020 had demonstrated to get to that moment. An in-person ceremony also would give parents and families the chance to see their graduates walk across the stage to receive their diplomas. It was a feat many felt was an impossible challenge because of COVID protocols, but Dr. Short worked hard to make it happen. Students and their families were assigned arrival times at PHS in 20 minute increments. They arrived at one end of the building and made their way through the hallways (distanced by stickers on the floor that still remain today), to the auditorium. Dr. Short read the names of every graduate who walked across the stage in their caps and gowns, while their families looked on, took photos, smiled and shed proud tears. Because we had more than 400 graduates, the ceremony lasted nearly five hours. However, every student had the opportunity to attend commencement, and their families watched them receive their diplomas. He went above and beyond to give our Class of 2020 not only an in-person experience, but also the opportunity to return to PHS where they had spent so much time and made so many memories.
From Jeff Abke, director of development, Perrysburg Schools: One of the many aspects that has made our development efforts so great is that people tend to give to things that they are passionate about and that show a pattern of success. Mike is a great example of how that culture has been built and sustained at Perrysburg. His hard work and his expectations of employees and students has led to success at PHS, and there are few people more passionate about being a Yellow Jacket than him. People want to support winners, and Mike has made our department better by keeping us at the top.”
From Tara Zechman, mathematics teacher, math department chair, student council advisor, PHS:
“As a principal, Mike respected the opinions of teachers, staff and students, encouraging new ideas and offering valuable feedback. I always appreciated the responsibility he gave to teachers of all experience levels and the confidence he had in the abilities of his teachers to teach and serve as content experts.”
From Mike Cline, former superintendent Perrysburg Schools: I had the responsibility and good fortune to recommend Dr. Short to the board of education as the new high school principal a few years shy of 20 years ago. Since that time, my respect and admiration for Mike has only grown.
His desire to be a high school principal, and Perrysburg’s need for a strong leader, was a serendipitous moment at that time. At every step in the process, from the screening of all applications, from becoming a finalist, and from being endorsed by three advisory groups, Mike was the unanimous choice. More importantly as we know now, his commitment to PHS offered consistency, predictability and continuous search for ways to provide opportunities for students.
His greatest attribute is his communication skills. His voice is dynamic; his writing is clear; his interactions portray confidence. It also helps that he is quick to find a positive option for stressful situations and to use appropriate humor, even if it is self-deprecating.
The high school in any school district is a very dynamic environment. It is even more so at Perrysburg because of the high expectations for academic, athletic and artistic pursuits. In such an environment, it takes a leader who is fully aware of all the interactions and the variables that exist because multiple things are often coming to the surface at a rapid pace. As Dr. Short shared with me one time, “I more often than not get three minutes to make a decision, but you (as superintendent) more often than not get three days.”
Mike’s dedication to the school district was also evident by the amount of time he gave above and beyond what was expected. He led by example. He was a team player and a team builder. While he certainly had his own ideas about how things were managed, he was always interested in promoting the ideas of staff members and students as well.
The fact that he continued to advance his own education and training after he had securely established himself as the leader at PHS speaks volumes. I’m sure there were many sacrifices his wife, Suzy, and their sons had to make so that Mike could dedicate so much time to his professional responsibilities and pursuits. At the same time, I know he was equally dedicated to his family. On the rare occasion that I had to make a work-related visit to Mike's home, he always allowed time for me to talk with Suzy and the boys and for him to share the pride he had in each of them.
Those of us who interacted with Mike in our mutual responsibilities of serving the families in the Perrysburg school district wish him a well-earned and well-deserved retirement.