Southeast Polk is proud to welcome Mr. Josh Griffith as our new Middle School principal. With a career of teaching and leadership experience across metro schools, he brings a passion for education deeply rooted in his family’s history.

Education runs through generations in his family: his great-grandmother taught in a one-room schoolhouse, his grandfather, Mr. Vern Fennell, was a Southeast Polk High School business teacher, his mother worked as a school office manager, and his wife serves as a school nurse. In his office, he proudly displays the old bell that his great-grandmother rang to let her students know it was time to start school. He also has inspiring notes that his grandfather wrote when he was teaching – and they still apply today!

Here’s young Griffith with his grandfather.

Married for 20 years, Mr. Griffith is a dedicated family man with two daughters who are actively involved in soccer and choir. “My two greatest loves are my family and education,” he shares.

For him, joining Southeast Polk feels like coming home. “Being at SEP just feels right. It’s the perfect building, the perfect place,” he says.

We are excited to have Mr. Griffith leading our Middle School and look forward to the positive impact he will make on our students, staff, and community.