Vienna High School -

Vienna’s John Giffin, Principal of the Year

Principal John Giffin has been selected as the High School Principal of the Year by the Illinois Principals Association Shawnee Region. Mr. Giffin has served in the Vienna district for nearly 20 years. As high school principal Mr. Giffin has led Vienna to becoming recognized in the region as a leader for numerous practices and has paved the way for innovative school safety practices, college programs, regional partnerships, career readiness, and numerous other examples in which has set Vienna apart as an example around the state.

School superintendent Joshua Stafford shared, “It has been said that everything rises and falls on leadership. John Giffin is a leader in which EVERYTHING rises. He is the steady mindful person in the midst of any crisis and always holds student wellbeing and success as his highest priority. His dedication is proven by the results that students are able to achieve and driven by his hard work, many hours of time invested, and a never ending commitment to excellence. He is the example of a principal and leader that I would encourage everyone to immolate and strive towards.”

Board of education president John Summers has been involved with school governance for decades. He said that principal Giffin possesses “all of the characteristics that you would want in a person that leads the work of the school.”

During Giffin’s tenure he has served as a faculty member in the science department, served as scholar bowl sponsor, has taken students on numerous international trips, driven buses for various events, sponsored student council, and served in several other roles.

In his early career he served as a teaching assistant and worked at the university museum at Southern Illinois University. He also worked as an archeologist with the firm, American Resources Group Limited. He served as a laboratory director which made him chiefly responsible for numerous artifacts and their appropriate preservation.

He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degree at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. He is also nationally board certified, which is a distinction that is held by only 3% of educators. Most recently Mr. Giffin completed his educational specialist degree at McKendree University and has earned his certification in the school superintendence.

Mr. Giffin is married to Adrienne Barkley Giffin who serves as an Associate Dean at John A. Logan College. The couple have a cat named Mr. Sunshine who has become known to generations of students in Vienna. Mr. Giffin enjoys traveling, mountain biking, and is a scuba diving instructor.