For more than three decades, Jeff Steffens has been a familiar face in the halls, classrooms, and athletic fields of Perry County School District 32. This fall, the longtime teacher, coach, and administrator will take on a new role — leading the 2025 Perryville High School Homecoming Parade as its grand marshal.
The parade begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, from Perryville City Park, marking PHS’s 70th Homecoming celebration. An alumni reception will follow at 11 a.m. in the Perry County Middle School library, and the Pirates will host Cuba for the Homecoming football game at 1 p.m.
“It’s a true honor to be named the Grand Marshal of the parade. It’s something you don’t expect,” Steffens said. “It’s just an honor to be someone that is thought of in that position — that the work you did meant something to people.”
A 1985 Perryville High School graduate, Steffens began his District 32 career in 1991 as a fifth-grade teacher at Perry County Middle School. He spent 10 years in the classroom before stepping into administration, serving 15 years as athletic director and assistant principal at PHS. He later became principal, a position he held for six years before retiring in 2022.
Retirement didn’t last long. When the district needed leadership at Perryville Elementary the following school year, Steffens returned as principal for 2022–23. Today, he continues to serve students as a bus driver for the district and as a physical education teacher at Immanuel Lutheran School.
“Mr. Steffens is a Perryville Pirate through and through. He has really set an example of what it means to be a servant leader,” said District 32 Assistant Superintendent Craig Hayden. “From serving as a teacher and administrator to coaching and driving a bus, he has always been there to fill the needs of District 32 students.”
Steffens earned his bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Southeast Missouri State University and a master’s degree in administration from Southwest Baptist University. His community involvement has also been widely recognized: he was named the Republic-Monitor’s 2020 Citizen of the Year and twice voted Best Principal in Perry County by the paper’s readers.
He and his wife, Jill, his high school sweetheart, have been married 31 years and are the parents of three grown children: Marcus, Madeline, and Trent.
