Matzen tallies rewarding career in leadership role at Southwest
October 25, 2024
Southwest High School students know they are more than a number to John Matzen every time they spot him walking down one of the hallways.
Matzen has solidified his spot as a source of guidance and encouragement to every Silver Hawk on campus. He has been with Lincoln Public Schools for nearly two decades and is in his fourth year leading more than 2,000 students and staff at Southwest. He is being recognized during National Principals Month, which takes place across the United States each October.
Matzen had initially planned to become an accountant when he entered college. He said the decision to switch to an education career has added many wonderful moments to his life.
“I feel like I have the best job in the world,” Matzen said. “Every day I get to interact with amazing students who are going through the journey that we all go through. The teenage years are not always easy, but they are some of the fond years that we look back on. Being able to help students navigate through those years, share wisdom when I can and celebrate with them when they find those accomplishments and reach those goals is very rewarding.”
LPS Director of Secondary Education Jessie Fries said Matzen is a strategic and thoughtful principal whose leadership has been valuable for everyone at LPS. He led the implementation of the digital hall pass program at Southwest last year. He was also instrumental in creating a framework for student cellphone guidelines on campus. Southwest’s pilot program for electronic devices was later adopted by all LPS high schools.
“John is known as a leader who helps simplify complex ideas and initiatives,” Fries said. “He always does so in an inviting and thoughtful manner with the goal being to improve how we support students, families and staff in LPS.”
Brett Schuster has been an associate principal at Southwest since 2019. He said every Silver Hawk knows that Matzen will act with honesty, integrity and respect regarding every issue that is brought before him.
“First and foremost, John is a great principal because he cares deeply about each individual student and staff member at LSW,” Schuster said. “As a result, every decision he makes is grounded in what is best for our kids and what is best for our staff.
“Beyond that, John is an outstanding communicator, collaborator and servant leader. These characteristics allow John to form positive, trusting relationships and rapport with diverse groups of students, staff and community members, which is crucial for leading any large school or organization.”
Matzen grew up in Milford and learned about the value of education from his parents. His dad was an instructor at Southeast Community College’s campus in Milford, and his mom taught classes at an elementary school in town. The memories of watching his parents make positive impacts on the lives of their students led to his own life-changing choice at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
“At some point during college I just realized that there was more to a job than just financial rewards,” Matzen said. “Education was rewarding in so many other ways.”
Matzen graduated from UNL with degrees in both English and business administration/accounting. He later earned a certification in business education from UNL and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Doane University.
Matzen was a business teacher at North Star High School for the first seven years of his LPS career. He became an instructional coordinator and associate principal at the school before accepting a job at Southwest as associate principal in 2018. He was named principal three years later.
Schuster said Matzen is both humble and assertive in his role as principal. He said Matzen is decisive and confident when making difficult decisions about everything from weighted classes to cellphone policies. He has also displayed a desire to include everyone in the fact-finding process.
“Realizing that no one person has all the answers, John often displays humility by listening to and considering ideas and perspectives that are different from his own,” Schuster said. “In turn, this results in a sense of shared leadership in our building, while also helping ensure that we are making the best decisions possible.”
Matzen said he feels fortunate to spend time with high-quality staff members at Southwest.
“We have an amazing staff here,” Matzen said. “The people I work with every day are an inspiration to me. They have also found their role in society and are educators through and through. They want to make the world a better place by providing these opportunities for our children, and I’m so glad I get to work with them.”
Matzen said he wants to continue to let everyone at Southwest know that they are more than a number when they enter the building. They are Silver Hawks who are valued, respected and treasured on campus.
“I would love to be the principal at Southwest until the day I decide to hang up my lanyard and ride off into the sunset,” Matzen said. “I truly feel like this is the right position for me, and because I’ve been able to find the career goal and place where I feel like I best fit, now my focus is helping others to get through their career or their schooling to find that same satisfaction.”
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Published: October 25, 2024, Updated: October 28, 2024