PMP478: From Classroom to Crisis and Beyond with Dr. Greg Johnson

A Quick Note to Listeners:

Before this week’s episode, Will Parker and Jen Schwanke take some time to answer a listener question. This week’s question is:

How can we build and sustain trust with staff, students, and parents?

Listen in to hear their response!

Meet Dr. Greg Johnson:

Greg Johnson is the high school principal at West Liberty-Salem High School in West Liberty, Ohio. He was first hired as a middle school social studies teacher in 1997 and recently completed his twentieth year as principal, marking his twenty-eighth year in education – all at the same school. Greg enjoys the small rural school setting and appreciates the family atmosphere and collaborative spirit of his K-12 building.

Greg serves on the NASSP Board of Directors. His involvement with NASSP can be traced back to the school shooting that he and his school experienced in 2017. This event and the extensive recovery period that followed let to Greg’s involvement in the establishment of the NASSP Principal Recovery Network in 2019. While serving as a co-facilitator of this group, Greg gained a deeper understanding of the vision, mission, and work of NASSP. Greg joined the Board of Directors in 2024.

Sharing his experience and educating others about school leadership during and after a shooting as well as the long and difficult road of recovery has been a passion of Greg’s since 2017. This passion has allowed him to speak at conferences across the country, often accompanied by his wife, three children, and son-in-law. All members of the family were in the school the day of the shooting and each experienced the event and its aftermath differently. Greg brings a thoughtful, authentic, and compassionate approach to speaking on school safety as well as to his work as a school leader.

Greg’s greatest passion is his family. He has been married to his wife Crystal for 28 years and they are the proud parents of three adult children. Additionally, he is also passionate about his Ohio State Buckeyes. Greg and Crystal met at Ohio State. All three children are graduates or current students at OSU. In addition to his bachelor’s and master’s from OSU, Greg accomplished a life-long goal of earning his Doctor of Education from Ohio State in 2024. As their youngest follows her two older siblings to OSU, Greg looks forward to tailgating on campus with his wife and kids as often as possible. Go Bucks!

Episode Highlights:

A Call to Leadership:

Dr. Johnson initially considered a career in engineering but found his calling in education through a mentor. He began teaching social studies and coaching at West Liberty Salem in 1997. Witnessing a “revolving door” of five principals in seven years, he felt a strong pull to provide stability. A dean of students role served as a stepping stone to his principalship 20 years ago. Despite missing the daily joy of teaching, his commitment to consistency for his school community remained paramount. In his rural setting, he deeply values the opportunity to know all students and their families, often before they even reach high school. A significant challenge, however, is the limited support for specialized services and the necessity of wearing many hats due to smaller staff, particularly during his 16 years as both middle and high school principal (grades 6-12). Greg’s positivity and commitment to his school have kept him rooted to his community, where he and his wife— who, by the way, is Jen’s longtime best childhood friend— have raised three children. 

Navigating a School Shooting:

In January 2017, West Liberty Salem High School faced an unimaginable crisis. Dr. Johnson recounted the chaotic morning when he received the call about a shooting in the high school wing. Upon entering, he and his assistant principal discovered shell casings and located a student, Logan, who had been shot twice by another junior. Remarkably, Logan’s presence and his ability to talk to the shooter disrupted the perpetrator’s plan. The school’s ALICE training proved invaluable, empowering students and teachers to make independent decisions; many high school classrooms self-evacuated through windows minutes before any official announcement. In a moment of incredible composure, Dr. Johnson immediately called Logan’s family— who were personal family friends— to inform them of the incident and their son’s injury.

The Unseen Wounds of Trauma and the Power of Connection:

Dr. Johnson emphasized the profound and often underestimated traumatic impact of the event on students, staff, and the wider community. He realized that while the immediate threat ended with the shooter’s containment, students evacuating through cornfields endured agonizing hours of not knowing if their friends and family were safe. Initially, he felt compelled to project an image of “Tiger Strong” as a leader, inadvertently leading teachers and students to suppress their own suffering. A school counselor’s intervention helped him recognize his own need for support, prompting him to process the event emotionally. This experience was foundational to the formation of the NASSP Principal Recovery Network, an informal group initiated by Frank Deangelis (Columbine High School) and Greg Waples of NASSP. This network provides vital peer support, advocates for school safety, and has developed a “guide to recovery” for principals facing similar tragedies. In a poignant twist, Logan (the shooting victim) and Addie (Dr. Johnson’s oldest daughter), who was a sophomore in the same wing during the shooting, began dating during the COVID-19 pandemic and are now married. This unique detail, along with the fact that many students, including Dr. Johnson’s own children, chose to enter the field of education after the event, powerfully underscores the resilience and positive legacy that can emerge even from profound tragedy.

Listening to this episode will restore your faith in the power of community, leadership, and the hearts of principals like Dr. Johnson. His story stands as a powerful testament to the enduring and transformative impact of steadfast leadership in the face of adversity.

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