Triton's Riffle Has Passion For KidsBOURBON - Some of the words that Triton Elementary School Principal Jeremy Riffle used to describe himself during an interview Nov. 3 were perfectionist, competitive and achiever.
But another word he used repeatedly was passion.
"My heart and my passion is with the kids we serve. We do everything with them in the forefront of our minds," Riffle said.
"I'm a very passionate individual. I have a passion for Triton Elementary and its success. I feel I'm a servant leader, and I want to do what's always best for the school and community," he said later in the interview.Originally from Elida, Ohio, Riffle went to Temple Christian School in Lima, Ohio. He earned his teaching degree from Bethel College, Mishawaka. For his student teaching, he taught fourth grade at Triton Elementary.
He was hired as a sixth-grade teacher at Triton. After 4-1/2 years, he was promoted to assistant principal in February 2008. He's now in his second full year as Triton Elementary's head administrator.
"I think it was natural progression," Riffle said of why he became a principal. "I loved the impact I had in the classroom, but I felt I could have a bigger impact in administration."
Growing up, Riffle said he had strong leaders as role models. That was another influence in his decision to become a principal.
In his role, he said there are many challenges. Triton Elementary wants to be an instructional leader. Getting parents and the community involved in the school is important. As the school leader, Riffle has to meet the needs of the staff.
"A lot of it is just meeting the needs of the people," he said.
Riffle likes to keep his staff informed as to why he makes a decision. He likes his employees to know what factored into his thinking.
He also wants to gain the trust of the faculty, staff, parents, students and community.
Before Riffle took over, Triton Elementary had goals it was working toward. Riffle wants to keep continuing with those, as well as work on new initiatives.
"My goal, my passion is to see Triton as a lighthouse in the community," Riffle said. He said the vision of Triton is for the school to be a community of learners.
The school improvement goals include reading, writing and math improvement.
Triton also wants to improve the technology in the school. All second-graders have a laptop thanks to a grant, and in December the school is gaining more Smart Boards.
Of course, there's always something going on at Triton. And it's been a welcoming environment for Riffle since he was named principal.
"I think it's been very positive. We have a great community," Riffle said. "The schools are the biggest business in the community. They (the community) has been very supportive."
Longer term, Riffle said the goals are to keep improving the students' education.
"I see ourselves continuing our excellent education. I feel we are already ahead, thanks to the caring staff and supportive parents," he said.
Triton keeps working on meeting the state standards and Adequate Yearly Progress.
One of the perks of his job, Riffle said, is the constant change.
"I would say you go into a day and every day is different," he said. "One day you're doing paperwork for the state, the next day you're doing an interview with the Times-Union, and the next day we may have a bomb threat. Every day is a new situation so you have to be grounded.
"I love being with students, being in the classrooms, meeting with staff and hearing what exciting things are going on."
After a long day at work, Riffle goes home to his wife, Bethany, and their three children.
"My wife is my rock," Riffle said. "She is super supportive, my encourager. She puts things into perspective. She keeps me humble."
Gage and Gavin are their 2-year-old twins. They also have a 5-month-old daughter named Gracie.
"She gets me up in the morning, literally and figuratively," Riffle said. "I live to raise them and be a good leader for them. Definitely a passion for me is my family."
