President Myers: Students Are the Mission

By Greta Cunningham ‘23
September 10, 2024

Greta Cunningham '23 had the chance to sit down with President Jeb Myers for an exclusive Q&A session, focusing on questions from a student's perspective. They cover a range of topics, including why he chose this role, how he plans to engage with the student body, and his commitment to the CDH community. Here’s what he had to say.

1. What interested you in this role and inspired you to join the CDH community? 

My family owned a grocery store in Shakopee from 1874 to 2001, so I understand organizations that have been around for a long time. You want to both honor the past and address present needs so you can be sustainable for the future. CDH’s past is important to our community, but the school has also done a great job continuing to be relevant today so our students get an education that prepares them to be successful in whatever path they choose. Our donors, alumni, and parents have also contributed a lot to ensure we’re financially set up for the future. It’s special to be a part of the very first high school started in the archdiocese. 

2. What do you enjoy about working with high schoolers? 

High school is a period of people’s lives where you’re really trying to figure yourself out. You’re discerning a lot about what your interests are, what your skills are, and what you value. It’s fun to watch a ninth-grader start timid and quiet and graduate with the confidence to take on what’s next. It’s a special transformation to watch unfold. 

3. Can you share a bit about your background and how it has prepared you for your role here?

I’ve worked with religious brothers and sisters throughout my life. I was educated K-8 by the School Sisters of Notre Dame. For college, I went to St. John’s, where I got to work with the Benedictines. I then joined the Lasallian volunteers to work with the Christian Brothers. For 17 years after that, I worked with the Jesuits in the Cristo Rey Network schools. All of these experiences have made me incredibly excited to work with the Sisters of St. Joseph Carondelet and the Christian Brothers here at CDH. 

In all my other positions, I started at schools the year they were founded. When a school is just getting started, you have to get your hands into everything, whether you’re helping drive a bus, figuring out how report cards will look, or sharing your vision with donors. I’ve had to be involved in each facet of a school, and I think that’s prepared me to come into a big community like CDH and understand and appreciate what everyone does, from our admissions team to our faculty to our IT team to our facilities team. I know each person’s role here is vital. 

4. How do you plan to engage with the student body and involve their voice in your leadership direction and decisions? 

Students are the mission. They’re the most important part of CDH. To ensure their voice is heard, I plan to have both formal and informal ways to engage with them. Right now, I greet students as they come to school at least twice a week. I want to watch a game, show, or competition for every athletic team and activity here at least once, which means going to at least one of the three theater productions and attending a ninth-grade volleyball match, not just varsity. I'd like to be in classrooms and have students see me in the cafeteria. I just want to be present.

Formally, we're changing our board meetings a little bit. A different group of six students will speak to the board before each meeting. We’re starting with six ninth graders at the September board meeting, six tenth graders at the November board meeting, and so on. Each student will share their name, what school they went to before CDH, why their family chose to come to CDH, what they hope to do after CDH, something CDH is doing really well, and something we can do better. I want our board members to have a window into the lives of our students, and I want our students to feel comfortable talking about changes they might want to see.  

I also want to expand the positions students can take on in the building as part of work-study programs so they can get help with financial aid and really see themselves contributing to the community. It also increases the interactions between students and faculty so faculty can hear more from students’ perspectives firsthand.

5. What should students understand about the perspective you bring to leadership? 

I really want to be approachable. I want to earn students’ trust by showing them that I really value their feedback and hope to give constructive feedback of my own. When you’re working with 14 to 18-year-olds, mistakes are going to happen. As a school, we need to be prepared with a healthy and educational approach to addressing those mistakes. When a student makes a mistake, my first question isn’t “Who did it?” but “Remind me again, who do you want to be when you’re older?” followed by “How is what you’re doing right now getting you there?”. It’s important to me that students understand that we’re working with them on their path. I want them to live a healthy, fulfilling life that serves others, whatever that looks like for them. 

6. How do you envision balancing the various interests and needs of students, faculty, parents, alumni, and our co-sponsors while advancing the school’s mission?

A friend of mine used to call me when he and my godson were at odds, and the first thing I’d say to his son was, “You know that your dad loves you, right?”. When working with our stakeholders, I want to start by reminding them that whatever group they might have oppositional interests with right now loves CDH too. It's much easier said than done, but I want to build the trust needed for those conversations by being accessible, open for feedback, and asking questions.

One of my favorite things about CDH is how the charisms of Brothers– remember we are in the holy presence of God– and the Sisters– love God and the dear neighbor without distinction– fit so well together. We remember that we're in the holy presence of God because God is in each of the people around us, and that calls us to view others with fascination, not judgment. We want to try to understand why somebody thinks differently from us and find common ground that we can move towards.

7. What do you think sets CDH apart, and how do you hope to enrich and expand that during your time here? 

I’ve been talking about the book Belonging by Owen Eastwood since starting at CDH. Eastwood is a part of the Maori tribe in New Zealand, and he describes the Maori concept of whakapapa, which means that you are connected arm and arm with all of your ancestors back to the beginning of time and connected arm and arm with all of your descendants to the end of time. So, when the sun is shining on you, you have to think about what honors your ancestors and also advances your descendants. I think that's what CDH does the best. My role in that right now is to look at how I can welcome more people to CDH while honoring what CDH has been. 

8. How do you want CDH students to think about their school?

I hope that students come here wanting to challenge themselves and find that challenge with their teachers, coaches, and directors. I want them to be striving to be the best person they can possibly be in a community that supports them. We have high expectations for each student here, and I want them to know that there’s scaffolding in place to help them get there. 

9. Are there any CDH values that resonate with you in particular? 

Each of our values comes together to make us who we are, but there are a few that come to mind.

We wouldn’t be here without our Catholic values. That’s our history with Bishop Cretin, the Christian Brothers, and the Sister of St. Joseph starting our school. My favorite part of the four gospels is the greatest commandment to love your neighbor as yourself, and that’s what guides us. 

Diversity is important not only because we need to match St. Paul and the community that we serve but also in the diversity of activities and offerings that we have so our students can find their place, whether that’s campus ministry, robotics, theater, clubs, or sports. All those things are super important because they allow our students to develop a sense of belonging here.

Our value of community means that whether you were a student at Cretin in 1970 or Derham Hall in 1985 or CDH in 2024, you're part of the CDH community throughout your whole life. That community is here for you whether you’re a small business owner who needs other small business owners who can support you or a student who needs a mentor as they apply for medical school. Whatever your path is, you have the CDH community behind you.