Writer / Matt Keating
Jered Pennington, the new principal of Amy Beverland Elementary, believes he was drawn to lead the Indianapolis school.
Pennington, the third principal at the school, is ready to take on the challenges of being the new leader. Susan Jordan, the previous principal, passed away on Jan. 26.
“I truly felt called to come to Amy Beverland in the wake of what everyone had been through earlier this year,” Pennington said. “I want to use my strengths as a supportive person to help the students, staff and families heal. As I learned more about the school, the ever increasing diverse population, the fantastic teachers and supportive families here, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of. I have continued to learn that what the stakeholders of Amy Beverland value, and what I value, are the same.”
Before coming to Amy Beverland Elementary, Pennington was a teacher for one year in the Avon School District and spent nine years at White River Elementary in Noblesville. He also spent four years at Promise Road Elementary where he was the assistant principal and a member of The Promise Elementary Vision Team.
“Working on the Vision team was a great experience,” Pennington stated. “It was a way to look at 21st century learning environments in flexible classroom spaces and bring a similar vision to reality.”
Pennington noted that other teachers and administrators were also dedicated to the program.
“I owe my leadership experience to Promise Road Principal Kelly Treinen,” Pennington said. “She empowered me as a co-principal of the building from the very beginning.”
Pennington made the decision to go into education his senior year at Western Boone High School. He grew up in Thorntown. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI) and his Master’s degree and Administrator License from Indiana Wesleyan University.
“When I was in high school, I was working as a cadet teacher at my childhood school and fell in love with teaching kids, and the field of education also a provided an opportunity to coach and be a part of athletics,” he stated. “I still love sports and playing basketball and golf.”
Pennington lives in Noblesville with his wife, Christy, and sons, Jordan, a sophomore at Ball State studying architecture, and Caleb, an eighth grader at Noblesville East. He and the family take care of his mother who lives with the family and receives ongoing care.
They also have four dogs, Brody, Ulana, Stella and Maxy, and one cat, Annie. “It’s a zoo,” he laughed.
Before he started working at Amy Beverland Elementary, Pennington attended a Staff Recognition Breakfast and was recognized with the Miller Legacy Award, presented by Noblesville Schools on June 2, his last day with Noblesville Schools.
“I left Noblesville at 9 a.m. and arrived at Amy Beverland at 9:30 a.m. for my first meeting,” Pennington said. “I had about a half hour between jobs, including the 20-minute drive.”
He does have a summer vacation planned before the school year starts. He has already been warmly received by Amy Beverland’s staff, students, parents and the local community.
Pennington’s immediate short-term goals include getting to know all of the stakeholders at the school.
“I met approximately 50 different staff members by scheduling individual meetings on my first two days, and I immediately saw that they are proud of one another and this amazing school,” Pennington said. “I want to build on this because I strongly believe that as good as we are, we can always get better.”
