May 10, 2018—Miata E. Hunter, Assistant Principal at Shaker Heights Middle School since 2013, has been named Middle School Principal, effective July 1, 2018. She succeeds David Glasner, who will become Executive Director of Curriculum & Instruction for the District.
Ms. Hunter is a 1992 graduate of Shaker Heights High School, a resident of Shaker Heights and a Shaker Schools parent. She emerged as the strongest of more than 120 applicants. She was chosen after a series of panel interviews and meetings with students, parents, faculty and staff, and community members. The District received feedback from more than 165 people. Many emphasized that Ms. Hunter’s perspective as a Shaker Schools student, parent, teacher and administrator will enable her to build on the progress the Middle School has enjoyed.
“Ms. Hunter is passionate, thoughtful and knows our district,” said one parent. “I have a current seventh-grader and he feels that she is approachable, which is so important at this age. She believes in hearing from the students and engaging them in their own educational process, which is the embodiment of IB (International Baccalaureate).”
“Miata has proven herself as a very intelligent, sensitive and talented leader,” said a District employee. “She is an excellent listener, and she considers other’s perspectives and opinions. I believe she will continue to build on the excellent progress made at the Middle School over the years.”
Ms. Hunter came to Shaker Heights Middle School in 2004 as a mathematics instructor after teaching in Minnesota and Cleveland. She served as Middle School Math Department Chair before becoming Assistant Principal. (To read her biography, click here)
She earned her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Cleveland State University, where she graduated magna cum laude. She holds a Master of Science in Applied and Computational Mathematics from the University of Minnesota Duluth. In 2010, she was a member of the Inspired Leaders Licensure Program at Cleveland State University.
“We believe that community and staff input are absolutely crucial to the process of hiring a principal, and I want to thank everyone who shared their time, thoughts and insights,” said Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr., Superintendent of Schools. “Ms. Hunter is a dynamic role model for our students. She shows them that you can aspire to be anything, even principal of your school. We are delighted she has agreed to take on this new challenge.”