Most people at Greeley West know Mr. Jeff Cranson as the principal. But did you know that he has actually worked for the school for years and some of his former students actually thought that he was fun?  He used to be an AVID teacher, baseball coach, CTE instructor and even Athletic Director for a time. 

High school students tend to have a fear of authority, so when Cranson got the title of principal it meant that a lot of students looked at him differently. But why should that title alone make anyone look at him differently. A lot of students will say that he is just a buzzkill without knowing that he actually fights for the students in many instances.  Sophomore Jasmine Tapia said her older sisters had had a very different relationship with him through the AVID program, but that she sees him very differently.  “He seems like a cool guy, but he is not very approachable with him having a stern look on his face all the time,” sophomore Jasmine Tapia said. “To me Cranson, is just the principal. I don’t know him very well if I’m being honest.”

Some of Cranson’s former students say he was actually fun.  In fact, Cranson taught some of the people that now work at West. One person that he taught is office manager Ms. Sasha Cohoon. She was in his AVID class in 2005. She claims that he was always great and that he always wanted what was best for the students. She would not have come back and worked for him in 2011 as his secretary if she did not think that.  When asked if he was fun, Cohoon replied, “Yes! He is still fun now!”

First-year social studies teacher Mr. Taylor Juarez also had Cranson as an AD, a baseball coach, and an accounting teacher. Now he views him a little differently because he is a teacher and Cranson is now his boss. He also has always liked Principal Cranson but said that his fun levels have gone down. “He used to be like Han Solo or Luke Skywalker but he has gone to the Dark Side,” said Juarez.

Juarez was assisted with that answer by Mr. Don Wagner, as he wanted to be careful for his immediate job security.  Cranson had a reply to Juarez, none the less:  “With great power comes great responsibility,” Cranson said. 

As a student at West you will always hear stories about your teacher’s in the past. Some of the stories might even be hard to believe. But it is proven that if you get to know Principal Cranson, he is actually fun and humorous. Even he said he wants to be better at having that reputation.  “The big thing is that in this position you’re responsible for so many other people.  All the students, the staff, the parents – it’s hard to build those relationships,” Cranson said.

So if you see him in the halls tell him to smile more and try to get to know your principal better. He might actually surprise you.