SCSD2 Announces New SHS Principal

At its regular board meeting on April 11, the Sheridan County School District No. 2 Board of Trustees approved Scott Cleland as the new Sheridan High School principal.

Currently the principal at Meadowlark Elementary, Cleland will take the reins at SHS on July 1. Cleland’s education career spans a total of 22 years, including ten years in Colorado teaching elementary students; two years teaching at Highland Park; two years as an administrator at Woodland Park and Sheridan High School; seven years as Highland Park principal; and most recently one year as Meadowlark principal.

Cleland holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Education from the University of Wyoming, where he also earned his principal endorsement. He is expecting to complete his Doctorate in Education in the coming year through UW. Under Cleland’s leadership, Highland Park Elementary maintained status as a national model Professional Learning Communities site and earned a National Blue Ribbon award.

In addition to his leadership roles, Cleland is an active coach in the community. He has coached youth soccer and wrestling for years and currently serves as an assistant wrestling coach at Sheridan High School. “Scott served as an assistant principal at SHS back in 2013-2014, and we are very excited to have him back at SHS in the lead role,” said Scott Stults, superintendent of schools for SCSD2. “Through his work across several schools in our district, Scott has proven that he can bring a group of professionals together as a cohesive unit, with a positive, nurturing focus on student growth and learning.”

Cleland said, “I truly look forward to joining the SHS team as principal. My goal is to draw on the hard work the SHS staff and students have already done. I believe that together we will continue to create tremendous opportunities for students to shine and grow in our community.”

“The staff at SHS has created an environment of high expectations for learning and continued growth, and I come with those same expectations for our students and staff,” said Cleland.

Cleland replaces former principal Mike Carnes, who resigned from the position this year. The district is in the process of selecting a new principal for Meadowlark, with the goal of hiring in the coming weeks