Greg Dunn has been educating teenagers for 25 years, and he’s spent a bulk of that time at a local high school.

So, when his former boss announced his retirement from Greenwood High School, Dunn knew he had an opportunity to return home. Dunn, assistant principal at Warren Central High School, will take over as principal of Greenwood beginning July 1. He’s replacing GHS Principal Mark Davis, who will retire in June.

Dunn will be the school’s third principal.

“I have a fondness for Greenwood. I had 11 quality years there,” he said. “I want to … be back where I feel I’m at home.”

It’s one less vacant leadership role for Warren County Public Schools, which was tasked with finding four new principals after three principals recently announced their retirement and another took a job with a different district.

“He has a lot of leadership ability and is good working with people,” Superintendent Tim Murley said. “I think that’s something that we really need in principals.”

It’s not the first school leadership gig for Dunn. He was principal of Allen County-Scottsville High School from 2004 to 2008 before transferring to that district’s alternative school, helping struggling students complete their course work and return to high school.

“It came to a point in time where I felt like I wanted to do something different for the moment,” he said. “I’ve been able to have other opportunities to help me be more well-rounded.”

Dunn received his teaching degree from Western Kentucky University and started his career in Tennessee, where he taught science and coached different sports at Portland and Hendersonville high schools. After seven years in Tennessee, he moved to Greenwood, where he “wore many hats,” he said.

He was hired as a science teacher and by the time he left, he had been guidance counselor, athletic director, girls’ basketball coach and student services coordinator. After spending a few years working in Allen County, he returned to Warren County last year as assistant principal at Warren Central High School.

“It was a tremendous experience for me, lots of great teachers,” he said. “I’m truly blessed in all those areas, every position I’ve held.”

As he moves into his new role at Greenwood, he’s taking over one of the district’s highest-achieving schools as new state education standards are being enforced.

“I feel like this is a good time to transition into a new position as new state standards are being rolled out by the state department,” he said. “I look forward to that.”

One of his first tasks will be to review the new standards and mesh them with the curriculum already in place at Greenwood. It will be challenging, but he plans to be proactive in helping teachers and students adapt to the changes, he said.

After all, his entire professional career has been in high school. He could have switched to a different level, but he always enjoyed the students, the activities and the atmosphere at high school, he said.

“I simply enjoy the high school age,” he said. “I’m kind of a high-schooler at heart. I guess I’ve never left high school.”