BY ERIK FLYNN

The students of Mariemont High School can see Dr. James Renner greet students at the front door of the school he runs every day. He daily prowls the halls, checking in on classes and students. At lunch in the commons, Renner eats his lunch with a view of the student body, policing horseplay. When not in the public eye of the students, he retreats to his office to do whatever else it is a principal does.

Dr. Renner’s winding trail that landed him as the principal of Mariemont High School began with rocks. Yes, Dr. Renner was a Geology major at Hanover College, with a minor in history.

“I was interested in working for a company like Shell or BP; I’d always had an interest in science,” Renner says.After his college education, Renner began his pursuit of a job in his field, taking a job with a local geological engineering firm.

But here came a fork in the road.

Tom Crosby, the head football coach at Mariemont in 1984 called Renner and asked if he would be interested in a coaching position at the Mariemont Junior High.

Renner–supposed to report to his new job with the geology firm–decided to pursue the coaching position. Coaching under longtime coach Jerry Summerville, Renner enjoyed leading a successful team and the fun of coaching.

“It was the summer of 1984. I had a few hundred in the bank, I was coaching the junior high team, and I thought it didn’t get any better than this,” Renner says.

To supplement his income (since he left the drilling company he had never joined), Renner began working part-time doing market research, and also substitute teaching.

At Summit Country Day, Renner spent a majority of his time substituting, and was asked to be the girls’ softball coach, while teaching 5th grade math at the boys’ school. Renner became even more involved when he filled in for the PE teacher who quit half way through the year.  And then things took another turn.

“I figured after the school year I’d go back to the engineering firm, if they’d take me…and then the third to last day of school, the science teacher at the boys’ school punched a student.”
Summit looked to Renner.

“They wanted a very smooth transition, so by the end of the day, I was hired as his replacement,” Renner says.
Deciding to continue his teaching gig, Renner additionally coached basketball, softball, tennis, and football at Summit.With a newly found passion for the teaching he was now doing, Renner began taking the steps to becoming the principal at MHS.

“I would coach all day, then I’d go to Xavier University and take classes to earn my teaching degree. I started to think teaching was the thing,” Renner explains.

While taking his classes at Xavier, and simultaneously working to earn his Master’s in administration, a professor informed the then-26-year-old Renner of an opening for a principal position at a small school in Indiana.

“I thought it’d be a good practice interview, because no one was going to hire a 26-year-old principal with no experience. But St. Mary’s in Indiana was desperate enough, and they hired me,” Renner states.

After two years at St. Mary’s, Renner began looking elsewhere, and landed a job at St. Andrew-St. Elizabeth Ann Seton school, all while still coaching junior high football at MJHS.

“I was very happy at St. Andrew-St.Elizabeth Ann Seton, but Mariemont is the greatest school district around, and I always said it’d have to be Mariemont for me to leave,” Renner says.

And so, fate twisted again.

While on the annual eighth grade trip to Washington D.C.  St. Andrew-St. Elizabeth Ann Seton took, Renner called into his voicemail while at Mt. Vernon to find a message from Mariemont asking if he would be interested in an interview.

After a successful interview, Renner was made the principal of Fairfax Elementary School. Former superintendent Dr. Gerald Harris encouraged Renner to pursue his doctorate at Miami University.

While earning his doctorate and  working at Fairfax Elementary, Tom Crosby, one-time principal of MHS, asked Renner to be the assistant principal at the high school.

So how did they end up switching roles?

“Mr. Crosby wasn’t allowed to be principal and coach the football team and really missed being head coach, and I was looking for a principal’s job, so we sort of looked at each other and decided what to do,” Renner says.

The men mutually agreed and made the switch in positions.

“I came in here and got the big desk, and that’s how that all came to pass,” Renner explained.

After his own winding road in life, Renner believes his story can be a valuable example for the students he sends out into the world.

“Work hard and put yourself in the position so that when opportunities come about you’re prepared for them…. I could’ve either been homeless on the streets of Cincinnati or the president of BP oil or anywhere along the spectrum.”