Dr. Edward Dreyer will be retiring at the end of the 2025-2026 school year. He has been working in education for about 30 years. Dreyer came to Fort Zumwalt West as an assistant principal for 11 years before becoming the principal for the remainder of his career.

Dreyer has learned that being a principal is knowing your students and staff. Building relationships and friendships with the people you see every day is common and something that can have an impact on someone’s life.

“I have really enjoyed my time in education and getting to know staff members, students and parents,” Dreyer said. “Watching our students grow into young adults has really given me hope for a great future. We have such wonderful, intelligent and kind students at West. I am proud to have played a small role in them becoming adults. I am far from perfect, but being a member of the West High community and the principal of West High makes me strive to be the best person and principal I can be.”

It is not uncommon for people to accept jobs they never saw themselves working, as it may lead to a new path.

“As a younger educator, I never envisioned becoming a principal,” Dreyer said. “I was a government teacher and a cross-country and track coach. I always thought I would coach and teach for my whole career. I was approached by my building principal at Howell North, who suggested that I consider becoming a principal. I have always been a fan of high school athletics and activities and the impact they have on students. I thought I might become an Activities Director. At the end of the day, I chose a path in administration. I learned as a young administrator that my job is to support all members of the West High community and to make their experiences as positive as possible.”

Despite not seeing himself as a principal, Dreyer is happy with the trajectory of his path.

“Becoming the principal of West High School is without question the greatest professional moment of my career,” Dreyer said. “West High is a special place for me personally as an educator and a parent. Professionally, I am very proud of what our school is. We have success academically and in our extra-curricular programs. Our school is the center of the community. We offer multiple opportunities and choices for our students.”

Retiring comes with a lot more free time for hobbies, family and friends.

“I really don’t know what I am going to do when I retire,” Dreyer said. “I know I will hopefully run a little more, play a little more golf and ride my bike on the Katy Trail. I also will be spending more time with family and friends, especially my wife of 28 years, Jennifer. I hope to work somewhere doing something, but I really haven’t looked too much into that yet. I will focus on that once the school year comes to an end. I plan on watching the West High sports team since I live so close.”

Good things also come to an end. Retiring closes the book of his current daily routine, but also opens the book of a new one.

“As much as I will miss this job and everyone at West High, I am really excited to retire,” Dreyer said. “I sometimes miss family events due to conflicts with school. I am ready to be available to spend more time with my parents, who are getting older, my friends and family.”