Surprise, understanding and appreciation met the announcement that Eric Juli resigned as principal of Shaker Heights High School, effective Nov. 26.
The district announced the decision Nov 18. via an email message.
Freshman Madison Greene said she was taken aback by the news. “It was honestly very out of the blue. We didn’t hear anything about it previously, so it must have been a very thought-out decision for him,” she said.
“I appreciated his announcements every morning,” Greene said. “I think it showed some of the effort he put into the students.” Juli has read installments of the Words of Wisdom program every day over the P.A. since becoming principal in 2019.
Senior Sam Robie said he was most surprised by the timing of the resignation. “It seems very sudden,” he said. “I would have expected him to say he was leaving at the end of the semester instead of the Tuesday of Thanksgiving break.”
Senior Dashiell Knol said that he wishes Juli well. “While I’m somewhat shocked at the news, especially with how suddenly the change will be happening, I hope Mr. Juli enjoys his well-earned break and also hope that it sends a message to administrators that their strategies for the school need to change direction,” he said.
Freshman Killian McCandlish expressed appreciation for Juli’s efforts. “This year has already been a lot,” she said. “It’s so much for anyone to handle, especially with all the security issues like bag checks. Overall, I think his email was very nice and it shows he really does care,” McCandlish said.
Juli instituted bag searches and metal detector wand screenings upon entry to school after three incidents of weapons on campus occurred within a week in September. A tip led police to search and arrest an SHHS student who was carrying a gun and attempting to enter the home football game Sept 13. Another former student was caught with a knife after turning away from the entry point, where metal detecting wands were in use. In a Sept. 18 incident, a distressed student was disarmed of a knife outside the building shortly before dismissal.
The security measures were a first for the district and led Superintendent David Glasner to approve installation of walk-through weapon detection at the high school. Piloting of that system is to begin Dec. 2.
Segev Phillips, PTO co-president, said Juli “has a deep care and love for students, especially marginalized students, and for the community at large. There was never a meeting that was too late for him.”
Students and staff arriving at the high school’s front entrance this morning were greeted by a sizable Card My Yard-style sign installed on the front lawn by the PTO last night. It read “Make it a great day, or not, the choice is yours,” Juli’s daily P.A. announcement conclusion.
Phillips said that Juli’s resignation upset him. “It really saddens me. Not just because of who he is and how easy he’s been to work with; it saddens me on a systemic level that somebody who has that care for the community and for the kids got to a point where they were so exhausted by the work that he felt that stepping down now was necessary,” Phillips said.
However, Phillips said that he approves of Juli’s decision to resign. “I do appreciate that, if he felt like he couldn’t do the job and dedicate his all to the students at that moment, that he felt that it was appropriate to stop aside. I think it takes a big person to do that,” Phillips said.
PTO Co-president Chris Douglas said that the community should acknowledge how difficult it is to be an administrator. “Society has definitely changed since I was in high school 30 years ago. I think it’s infinitely more complicated, stressful and challenging,” he said.
Freshman Eden Bracey said that, though she doesn’t know a lot about Juli, “he has been trying to keep the school as safe as possible.”
Since 2020, Juli created the alternate-day block schedule and annual variations, including two years of Flex Block, which he discontinued this year in favor of a return to eight class periods. Junior Cormac Benard said he is glad Flex Block will not return. “If I had eight periods my entire time here, then I’d be able to do classes that I want instead of having to focus completely on needed credits,” he said.
Isaiah Wyatt, assistant principal of the Innovative Center for Personalized Learning, has been named interim principal for the remainder of the 2024-25 school year. “It matters to me that I connect with people,” Wyatt said. “I’m passionate about teaching and learning and leadership. I love what I do.”
Wyatt said that working at the IC gave him a different perspective on school. “I was able to see the impact of relationships in a school model and how it can impact students for achievement,” Wyatt said. “I believe learning is fun. Learning doesn’t have to look the same for every single kid.”
Phillips said that he looks forward to working with Wyatt. “The PTO has already worked pretty extensively with Mr. Wyatt at the IC,” he said.
Knol, a former IC student, said that he is excited to see Wyatt take on a bigger leadership role. Knol said that he hopes Wyatt will “carry the personal connections made there to main campus students.”
Freshman Alena Glenn said that Wyatt is friendly and open to students at the IC. “He always asks how people’s days are going, and he had some ideas to improve the Innovative Center, but he also didn’t change it too much from what I know because he knew people like it how it is,” Glenn said.
“He is different from Mr. Juli, but I think he’ll be a good principal at the main campus. He’s good at listening to people, which is a nice skill for a principal to have,” Glenn said.
Sophomore Asher Sullivan said that he hopes Wyatt continues one of Juli’s traditions. “I also hope that the new principal keeps music in between classes,” he said. “I think it gives a good spirit to the hallways.”
Emma Barker, Eliot Call, Nyla Jamison, Liam MacGilvray and Lucas Tcheurekdjian contributed reporting.
