By Jim Beers, Contributing Writer
CHESTER – Year 2000 Chester High School graduate, Jeremy Blechle, has returned to his alma mater to take over leadership of his former place of secondary education. Blechle is no stranger to the task, however, as he has been in leadership positions in numerous capacities at the school since 2007 when he began teaching and coaching at that institution.
On August 2, former Chester High School Principal, Missy Meyer, resigned her principalship at CHS after serving in that role since 2017. Meyer’s resignation was accepted at the August 2nd Chester School District # 139 Board of Education meeting. Meyer resigned to become principal at Marissa High School.
A week later Blechle was approved by that same board as Principal of Chester High School. He then had three days until he had to meet with CHS teachers and staff to open the 2022-23 school year. A day later, students reported to CHS to begin the school year.
Blechle was born in Chester in 1982 to parents Randy and Karen Blechle. He has three older sisters, Jennifer Galeski, Stephanie Tooley and Miranda Moore. The four siblings grew up in Chester along with their parents.
Mr. Blechle attended elementary school at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Chester. While at St. Mary’s he was highly involved in sports, especially showing interest in baseball and basketball. He also participated in Pep Club.
Throughout his childhood, Blechle was very much a “family guy” and enjoyed spending time with his immediate and extended family members. He also thoroughly enjoyed playing summer baseball in the community of Chester and he was active in the Catholic Youth Organization or CYO. He graduated from St. Mary’s in 1996.
The next four years Blechle spent his time of secondary education attending Chester High School. At CHS he was a good student and continued his keen interest in sports, excelling in football and baseball. He was a member of Lifesavers, Pep Club, and the Summit Yearbook Staff.
In his summers, he maintained his involvement in baseball, playing American Legion Baseball. He likewise kept up his participation in CYO and has always enjoyed spending time with family. Blechle graduated from Chester High School with the Class of 2000.
Upon graduation from CHS, Blechle continued his educational journey at Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC) and graduated from that institution of higher education in 2002 with an Associates of Arts Degree in Academics.
He then continued his pursuit of higher education at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He graduated from SIU-C in the winter of 2006 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education. His major concentration was Social Sciences Academics.
In 2006 Blechle married his wife, Meghan Mifflin. They have two sons, Aidan, who is a senior at Chester High School and Alex who is an 8th Grader at Chester Grade School.
In the fall of 2007 Jeremy Blechle began his teaching career at Chester. He spent his next his next 14 years, from the fall of 2007 until May of 2021, at CHS in several capacities.
Blechle began teaching History, Driver’s Education, and Geography. In addition he was Assistant Baseball Coach under Head Coach Jeff Kordys and thereafter became Head Baseball Coach. He was also Assistant Football Coach under Head Coach Bryan Lee and served as Defensive Coordinator for Lee. When Coach Lee left for Carbondale, Blechle served as Head Football Coach for a brief time.
In 2016 Blechle was promoted to Chester High School Dean of Students. He also taught half-time. Two years later, when Athletic Director, Mike Coffey retired, Blechle assumed the roles of Assistant Principal and Athletic Director.
It was prior to this promotion that Blechle earned a Master’s Degree from McKendree University in Administration of Education. After three years in the role of Assistant Principal and Athletic Director at Chester High School, Blechle left CHS for one school year to accept a position as Assistant Principal at Columbia High School.
Blechle said, “At Columbia my primary responsibilities were in the areas of Discipline and Attendance. I was Director of the P.B.I.S. Program dealing with Positive Behavior and Intervention and Support.”
“In addition to these duties, all administrators had to take turns attending and supervising one-third of all athletic events. At Columbia we had baseball, softball, basketball, hockey, golf, soccer, bowling, and academic team. We therefor kept very busy.”
“Columbia was very focused on academics. The entire community was involved with school events, programs, and activities. They took ownership of the school and were extremely supportive. There was a team atmosphere of at Columbia and parents were helpful and supportive.”
“One activity they had at Columbia was an open house for parents. At this event, parents came alone to the open house alone, without their students. They then spent the entire event taking their student’s class schedule and going through what the students do during a normal day.”
“They experienced the entire schedule, attending classes and meeting the teachers that their students have for the semester. It gave parents a better understanding of what the students do and experience at school. This experience helps build support and understanding between the parents and the school. It helps unite everyone!”
When asked why he made the move back to Chester from such a good position and environment at Columbia, Blechle said, “You know that I grew up in Chester and I have always had and will always have orange and black blood in my veins!”
“My family is still in Chester and I have a two sons in school in Chester. Aidan is a senior at Chester High School and Alex is an 8th Grader at Chester Grade School. I am definitely a family man and desire to be closer to my family.”
“Plus, it is an hour drive each way, so that’s two hours a day out of my life that I can’t spend with family. I loved my time at Columbia and nothing there caused me to want to leave. Being at Columbia was a great opportunity to expand my experience. All schools run differently and it has been a fantastic experience learning how that district functions. I will definitely bring many resources back to Chester to use at CHS.”
New Chester High School Principal, Jeremy Blechle, takes a good look at brand new handrails that were installed at Chester High School’s Colbert Gymnasium this first week of school. The new rails will add much safety to students and visitors to Colbert Gymnasium and will provide support to those individuals navigating the steep stairs for a wide variety of events. The rails are now complete along with a widening of the steps to provide more safe and convenient travel up and down the stairs at Colbert. Jim Beers Photo
When asked if he has any immediate plans to implement at Chester, Blechle said, “I love the opportunity to help kids. My primary immediate goal is to help kids. I also will be a resource for ALL staff in the building. I will strive to be the type of leader that ALL staff want to get behind and support.”
“I will be the type of administrator that gives teachers a voice regarding how things are done. I want to empower them to become a team member who wants to help kids and become very academically focused. I want them to take ownership in our school and help the community become more invested in what we are doing at CHS.”
Finally, Blechle was asked intends to do in his spare time now that he is back in Chester full time. Blechle said, “I am family drive.! Our family loves athletics so I will try to attend every sport contest in which our boys are competing.”
“Our family loves to camp, so we hope to have more time for camping too. Boating is another activity we enjoy and we have three dogs. Our pets are important to us! Most people do not know this about me, but I am sort of a horticulturist. COVID led me a challenge of not just keeping flowers alive, but making sure they were the best on the block! I also look forward to spending more time with my wife, Meghan.”
“I am extremely excited to be back at Chester. This time I will be in my first principal position, so there will definitely be a learning curve. I come fully prepared to take my time and learn the ropes. I don’t foresee any major changes at this time. I just want to get my feet on the ground and get rolling.”
“Having been hired just three days before school started, I really haven’t had time to do a whole lot. I am not even fully moved into my office. I intend to listen to my teachers and staff and plan to encourage as much community involvement as possible at CHS.”
“I want our teachers, parents, students and community members at large to invest in our school. I do know the lay of the land here at CHS, so hopefully that will help make my transition much easier. I am looking forward to this opportunity!”