This year, the Class of ‘26 will be walking the stage, but instead of shaking hands with Matt Jones, they will be congratulated by Logansport High School’s new principal, Michael Miller.

Jones served as principal at LHS for 14 years, working for 30 years in the corporation altogether, and decided to step down at the end of the 2024-2025 school year. Even though he is not actively involved at LHS, his role as Executive Director of the Alumni Association allows him to collaborate with schools within the Logansport Community School Corporation community.

“I felt incredibly proud of what our team had built at Logansport High School,” Jones said. “The opportunity to lead the Alumni Association allows me to stay connected to the school I care deeply about while focusing on strengthening relationships with alumni and the community. It seemed like a natural next step to keep supporting the school in a new way. It also provides more flexibility in my schedule, allowing me to spend more time with my family while still staying actively involved with LHS and LCSC.”

Miller served as associate principal for a year before transitioning to principal. During Jones’s last year, Miller described it as a collaborative year, during which they examined the roles, responsibilities and duties of a high school principal together.

“[Jones] still held on to some responsibilities, specifically things like graduation and working with the seniors last year,” Miller said. “That allowed me to observe how he handled those activities while also giving me the chance to take on many of the tasks and responsibilities of the principal role to help ease the transition. I’m very thankful not only for his leadership and professionalism but also for the opportunity from Superintendent Starkey and our school board of trustees to allow that transition last year into this year.”

Before working with Jones for a year, Miller had also interacted with him through district meetings and as a member of the cabinet of principals. However, it wasn’t until last year that their relationship grew.

“More importantly, our relationship grew last year when I was able to work alongside him as his associate principal,” Miller said. “We shared roles and responsibilities, and used that year as preparation for me taking over as principal this year. I had the opportunity to learn how things operate at Logansport High School and see the great things we have in place. Last year was really a planning year for initiatives and programming to help ease the transition between him and I as I took over this year.”

Events like the recent celebration of Felix’s 100th Birthday would not have been made possible without the Alumni Association.

“A lot of people see the events or the social media posts, but behind the scenes, there is a lot of work connecting with alumni, maintaining our alumni database, organizing events, sharing school history, producing quarterly newsletters, arranging building tours for class reunions, and raising funds to support programs and students,” Jones said. “We also provide teacher grants, help celebrate major milestones such as our recent Felix 100th celebration, and look for ways alumni can stay involved with the school long after graduation. I work closely with our Alumni Board, which is incredibly supportive and integral to the association’s work. Logansport High School has a fantastic story, and the Alumni Association helps ensure that story continues for future generations of Berries.”

Being able to work with the Alumni Association has given Jones opportunities to bring Logansport together.

“What excites me most is the opportunity to bring together generations of Berries,” Jones said. “Logansport High School has such a rich history and a strong alumni base, and there is tremendous potential to celebrate the past, connect the present and build the future.”

Of course, leading a school does not mean feedback isn’t important. Thus, Miller believes getting input from stakeholders, such as teachers and students, is important.

“This year I’ve focused on providing opportunities to engage with stakeholders and get feedback,” Miller said. “That has led to some decisions we’re making now. For example, we’ve worked with food services and class officers on things like taste testing and getting student voice in cafeteria choices. When it comes to bigger initiatives, we’re always looking at ways to better support students. We’ve gathered feedback about student experiences and things like Fast Friday and office hours, and asked whether those systems are meeting student needs. We’re also looking at changes related to the new accountability model for schools and the new diploma structure for the Class of 2029 and beyond.”

After 14 years of working with LHS, Jones embraced the new chapter of his life. 

“I think it has gone very well,” Jones said. “The support from alumni and the community — especially during events like the Felix 100 celebration — has been incredibly encouraging and shows how much pride people have in Logansport High School. I can’t thank our sponsors and donors enough for their support. That said, we are just getting started.”