GREENVILLE – After 11 years of service to Greenville City Schools, Greenville Senior High School Principal Stan Hughes is preparing to begin a new chapter in his career, leaving behind a school district he says has experienced significant growth both academically and athletically.
As Hughes prepares to accept a new opportunity in Indiana following the 2025-26 school year, one of the relationships he says he will miss most is the close working partnership and friendship he developed with Greenville Athletic Director Aaron Shaffer.
“Mr. Hughes is moving on to a new opportunity over in Indiana,” Shaffer said. “He has been a tremendous support to me as I learned the ropes as an athletic director. The principal and athletic director work hand in hand on many nights, and he will be missed. I am excited for our future, and I am excited for his future as well, but I appreciate all the support that Stan has given us through the years.”
Shaffer noted that Greenville athletics are experiencing one of their strongest periods in recent years.
“It’s been an up year in sports at Greenville,” said Shaffer. “We just have to keep growing at it and providing our coaches and athletes with the support they deserve so they can be as successful as they can be.”
Hughes agrees that a successful athletic department begins with a strong partnership between school administration and athletic leadership.
“A school system needs the high school principal and the athletic director working together to make the athletic department work well,” Hughes said.
What began as a professional relationship eventually became a close friendship, fueled by a surprising series of shared experiences.
“Unbeknownst to both of us, our lives parallel each other a lot,” Hughes said. “I grew up in a different town than Aaron, but when we were in high school, we played football against each other, and then when we went to college, we went to two different colleges, and we played football against each other again in college.”
Their paths would eventually cross again in Greenville.
“Fortunately, throughout our careers, we came together here at Greenville,” Hughes said. “Because we have so many commonalities between us, how we grew up, the type of town that we grew up in, and what we like and dislike, we became really great friends.”
The demanding schedules of their positions only strengthened that bond.
“The other thing about it, we spend so much time together that you become so intertwined with the people you work with that it becomes second nature. This becomes your family,” Hughes added.
Hughes praised Shaffer’s commitment to Greenville students and athletes, particularly when difficult decisions must be made.
“Aaron’s commitment to the school and the kids and the athletic program, the time he puts in, and a lot of times we make hard decisions about things that people don’t always understand why,” Hughes said. “In the end, his commitment to doing what’s right is what makes him a great person. That is a hard thing for a lot of people to see sometimes when you’re making hard decisions. He’s committed to doing what’s right, and that is important to me.”
The collaborative relationship between the two administrators extended far beyond office hours.
“It’s such a team effort,” Hughes said. “We become so intertwined that I can call him and say, ‘Can you help me with this?’ and he can do the same thing for me, too. If he needs coverage, that’s not a problem. I’ll go cover it with him or for him.”
Many of their discussions took place while attending athletic events across the region.
“If you go to away basketball games or football games, we’re sitting together talking about how we can improve our athletic program or that sport specifically, or whatever we can do to help our kids move forward,” Hughes said. “His and my conversations are super important in developing our student-athletes, our coaches, and adults. We are responsible for both the adults and the students. We have a lot of conversations about that sort of thing all the time. It’s been really nice.”
While Greenville athletics have enjoyed notable success during recent years, Hughes believes one of the district’s greatest accomplishments has occurred in the classroom.
“Our sports are getting better as we go, but academically and discipline-wise, we are also much better than when I started here 11 years ago,” Hughes said.
He pointed to improved graduation rates as one of the school’s most significant achievements.
“Look at our graduation rate, for example,” Hughes said. “Eleven years ago, we were 88 percent and 86 percent, and the last two years, we have gotten up to 92 percent one year and 94 percent one year. Graduation-wise, we are also at the apex of what we have ever done as recorded by the Ohio Department of Education.”
Hughes noted that only one previous graduating class, in 2005, recorded a higher graduation percentage than Greenville has achieved over the past two years.
Academic performance has also reached new heights on state assessments.
“State testing-wise, we’re as good as we have ever been in state tests these past couple of years, so I am really proud of our growth,” Hughes said. “It takes all of the staff to buy into that situation, and it takes them all working toward that to get to where we are, so I am really proud of our staff for being there.”
For Hughes, the success of Greenville High School is rooted in the dedication of the faculty and staff who work daily to support students.
“Those kinds of things that I don’t often get to brag about are due to the fact that I have a great staff that works really hard and also believes those things are important,” Hughes said.
As Hughes prepares to leave Greenville, he does so knowing the school is positioned for continued success. His legacy includes not only improved athletic programs and academic achievement, but also the strong relationships and collaborative culture that helped make those accomplishments possible.
