After nearly a year, and two separate candidate searches, a new principal will be coming to Grover Middle School. On May 14 the Board of Education selected Brian Harris to replace interim principal John Bach, who came out of retirement to serve as the interim principal until a permanent replacement had been found. Harris hails from the Edison school district, where he has been the assistant principal at John P. Stevens High School for the past five years. Prior to that, he taught math at Edison High School. Harris was also the head soccer coach, and directed the spring musicals for several years.
Although Harris worked in Edison, he is actually a “local” — he and his wife, Jen, have lived in East Windsor for the past four years. They are expecting a child this summer, and Harris also has a son Jack, who is in seventh grade. His family, including his parents, Al and Lorraine, were present at the meeting announcing Harris’ appointment.
When asked why Harris sought a position in the WW-P district, he responded, “I made a determination mid-year that I would begin actively looking for a principal position. I really wanted a middle school, so that I could be part of students’ transition to high school. At the high school level, I have seen so many ninth graders coming into high school, and I have a good idea of what they need to be ready for this big transition.
“Also, my son is a middle schooler. When I interact with him and his friends, I see they still have their eyes wide open — they are still kids, acting like kids. High school students look around first to make sure it is still OK to act like a kid. I love the energy that middle school kids exhibit. They bring that enthusiasm to everything they do, including school. I want to be involved with that.”
“And as for the WW-P district, by its reputation alone, it is clear that it has kids that are ready to learn, and when they depart for the next school, they are ready. This was exactly what I was looking for — a district where the students exhibit enthusiasm for learning. It was such a good fit.”
Harris was born in Illinois, and his family moved around a lot because of his father’s career in the Air Force, but they settled in New Jersey when his father was transferred to McGuire Air Force Base. Harris went to Burlington High School, where his mother worked for several years as a secretary. After his father retired, his parents decided to remain in New Jersey.
Harris went to Franklin & Marshall College, where he earned a degree in government. He hadn’t planned to become a teacher, but took a job in the alumni relations department, where he worked with the alumni mentoring program. He worked with student ambassadors, and decided he loved advising and working with the students.
He then attended the College of New Jersey, where he earned a math certificate and a master’s degree in teaching. He was working as a student advisor while a graduate student, and when his boss left, Harris was asked to replace him. “I also was a student teacher, and the combination of teaching and advising students really felt right. Once you identify a career path you enjoy, you should follow it,” he said.
“Accepting a principalship seemed like a natural progression for me,” said Harris. “Being a principal is an affirmation of what I have been working towards. A principal affects the teachers, students, and parents in ways an assistant principal does not. The principal has the ability to interact with students in their natural social environment. He or she can get to know the kids and the parents, as well as of course the teachers.”
“I am committed to being in the trenches, getting acclimated as quickly as I can, not just to benefit myself but also so that the Grover community can get acclimated to me,” he said.
“I hope we can use the summer to get to know each other. I plan on meeting with as many of the stakeholders as possible — teachers, staff, parents, and students. We are all going to be part of a grand experiment to see how high we can go. Grover is already great; we can work together to make it exemplary,” he said.
