Special to the Reporter
Last month, the Mercer Island School District announced that Jennifer Cleaves has been selected as the next principal of Lakeridge Elementary School and Matthew Steen has been selected as a new associate principal at Mercer Island High School (MIHS).
Cleaves, who has 28 years of experience in education, has been the principal of Finn Hill Middle School and the Environmental and Adventure School in the Lake Washington School District for the last four years. She was an elementary teacher in the Bellevue School District from 1996 to 2002.
“At my core, I believe relationships are the heart of education. I look forward to partnering with the Lakeridge community to support student success and foster a strong, connected school community,” said Cleaves.
Steen comes to MIHS from the Issaquah School District where he has most recently been the dean of students at Endeavor Elementary School and an administrative intern at Skyline High School. Steen started his teaching career in the 2013-14 school year as a social studies teacher at Meadowdale High School in the Edmonds School District.
“I am honored and excited to join the Mercer Island family as an associate principal,” said Steen. “Having the opportunity to contribute to an already well-established community that values academic excellence while also focusing on student well-being is meaningful to me both professionally and personally.”