Growing up as a preacher’s kid, Medical Lake High School principal Jeremy Vincent always thought he would go into ministry as well. His heart, however, had a different road in mind.
After realizing that ministry wasn’t for him, he spent the next 22 years working in schools in Spokane and Western Washington, dedicating his life to educating students.
Vincent grew up in the Mt. Lake Terrace area north of Seattle. After high school, he took a gap year and worked at a lumber mill before enrolling in Calvary Chapel Bible College. During his two years at the college, he realized that becoming a minister wasn’t for him. He wanted a career, and through his time working with the Young Life organization, he knew he wanted to work with kids.
He transferred to Northwest University and got his bachelor’s degree in secondary education. His first teaching jobs were at private schools in Western Washington and the Spokane area, but after a few years he put his sights on working in public schools, convinced he could be more impactful and effective there.
After he and his wife moved to Spokane, he earned his master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Eastern Washington University. He started working as a football coach at Rogers High School and then began teaching English at the high school when a position opened up. “I loved being at Rogers,” Vincent said of his three years there.
He and his family moved back to the west side to be closer to extended family as their family grew. Vincent taught for four more years before making the shift to administration, serving as the assistant principal at Ferndale High School for two years before advancing to principal for five years.
But once again, his heart had other ideas. He and his wife Erin, who is also an educator, had three children and decided they wanted to come back to Spokane, helped along by the decision of Vincent’s parents to move to Spokane. It gave them the ability to still be close to family while coming back to Spokane, so he started looking for positions in the area. “Ever since we left Spokane we were looking for a way to come back,” he said.
He took a job as principal of North Pines Middle School, where he stayed for four years before being hired as Medical Lake’s principal this year. Vincent said he enjoyed his time at North Pines and wasn’t planning to leave the school. “I wasn’t looking for anything,” he said.
Vincent was familiar with Medical Lake High School because his son’s baseball team had played at the school. Vincent said he was impressed with the community and thought it would be a great place to be a principal one day. When he got a notification on LinkedIn that the principal position was opening up, he decided he couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
Vincent said he was attracted to working in Medical Lake because it reminded him of his favorite part of being principal in Ferndale, a small town like Medical Lake. “It was a one high school town,” he said of Ferndale. “There’s just something about a one high school town and what it means to the community. It’s a really special thing as principal. That high school, it’s the heart of the community.”
Vincent was selected for the job last spring, which allowed him plenty of time to transition. He said he’s grateful that his former superintendent, Central Valley’s John Parker, gave him the flexibility to start on that transition while finishing the year at North Pines.
“Before the end of the school year I spent about 40 hours here,” he said. “I met with nearly half the staff in one-on-one’s. That helped so much with the transition. I appreciate Dr. Parker releasing me to do that.”
Vincent has spent the summer getting ready to greet students on the first day of school and getting settled into his office. A stuffed cardinal, the school’s mascot, sits on one of his shelves.
Vincent said he’s looking forward to his time at Medical Lake High School. “I think there’s a lot of good opportunity here,” he said.
What made you decide to become a teacher?
I had done some volunteer work with a few organizations that work with youth, and I knew that I wanted to make a career of it and teaching was a great way to make a meaningful impact.
What is the best lesson you learned during your time as a teacher?
Leave my ego in the car. Taking negative comments personally or engaging in a battle of wills rarely ends well for the adult. Students are navigating a range of changes during these years, and when something negative surfaces, the root cause is often unrelated to me.
What made you decide to get on the administrative path and become a principal?
Schools are built around a network of systems, and like anything, those systems can sometimes make school harder for certain students. I want to be someone who helps make those systems work better—for students, families, and staff. I became a leader to be a force for positive change.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Graduation—I don’t think I’ve had a dry eye at a ceremony since becoming a principal. It’s more than just a celebration; it’s a powerful milestone that honors everything a student—and their family—has worked through and overcome to get here. It’s monumental, and I’m deeply aware of how much it means for their future.
What are you most looking forward to at Medical Lake High School?
Medical Lake is such a unique and special community, and I’m truly grateful to be a part of it. There’s something powerful about the way small communities come together to support their students and schools. Being part of that brings me deep joy and a strong sense of purpose.
What advice do you like to give your students?
Take healthy risks. High school is the perfect time to try something new or different—experiences that can have a lasting impact on who you’re becoming.
