Jeff Meisenheimer may have a bone to pick with his boss.</p><p>Meisenheimer, an assistant principal at Lee’s Summit High School, was recently named Missouri Assistant Principal of the Year, an award he was unknowingly nominated for by his principal – John Faulkenberry. </p><p>“I had no idea he nominated me so when I found out, I called him and asked if he had anything to do with it,” Meisenheimer said with a laugh. “Turns out, he did.”</p><p>“Sometimes it’s hard for people to accept that they’re going to be up for some level of recognition,” Faulkenberry said. “So I thought I’d just skip telling him and get the process rolling.”</p><p>Faulkenberry said he nominated Meisenheimer because, simply, he’s an outstanding assistant principal. </p><p>“In all the years I’ve been at LSHS, I’ve been blessed to work with nothing but outstanding assistant principals,” he said. “But Jeff has a special talent for working with kids and their families, of gaining their trust and doing all he can do to help them.” </p><p>Meisenheimer got his start in teaching the old fashioned way, he followed in family footsteps.</p><p>“My mom was a business teacher,” he explained. “When I was in college I decided to try doing a few business internships to see if I liked it. I found out they weren’t for me.”</p><p>Meisenheimer graduated with a degree in business education from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1994. He also went on to receive his master’s degree in educational administration in 2000 and a specialist degree in educational administration in 2006 at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. </p><p>After graduating, Meisenheimer started teaching at Ruskin High School in the Hickman Mills School District. </p><p>“I really enjoyed teaching and interacting with the students but while I was at Ruskin, my principal Doug Taylor took me under his wing and encouraged me to think about going into the administration side of things,” he said. </p><p>In 2004 Meisenheimer applied for an open assistant principal position at Lee’s Summit High School. </p><p>“The R-7 district has such a tradition of academic excellence,” he said. “When you think of the different high-performing districts in the Kansas City metro area, Lee’s Summit always comes to mind first.”</p><p>The role of an assistant principal, Meisenheimer said, involves a lot of student interaction, sometimes good, sometimes bad.</p><p>“Student discipline is a big part of my day,” he said. “For example, right now, six-week grades just came in and I’m talking to all the students who are receiving “Ds” and “Fs.” </p><p>Meisenheimer also sits in on classes and performs teacher evaluations, which he said is one of his favorite parts of the day.</p><p>“I miss teaching, I think a lot of administrators do,” he explained. “So when I get to sit in a classroom and see all the good things that are going on, it’s very enjoyable.”</p><p>“Jeff is great at working with the students here,” Faulkenberry said. “I think it comes from a willingness to go the extra mile, to make that extra phone call. Many times he will personally invite the family of a student who may be having trouble to events, rather than just send a letter or an e-mail. He’ll sit down with them and figure out the best way to turn the situation around.”</p><p>Meisenheimer will now go on to compete for the national title of assistant principal of the year but said he’s not sure about his chances of winning that award.</p><p>“I’m competing against 49 other great assistant principals,” he said. “I’m honestly not thinking too much about the competition. Just being recognized is an honor in itself. For now I’ll just continue what I seem to do best – working as an assistant principal.”</p><p><i>To reach Journal reporter Emily Jarrett, call 816-282-7018 or e-mail ejarrett@lsjournal.com.</i>