After over 32 years in education, Grayson County Middle School Principal Gary Parker is retiring.
Parker was hired as principal by the Grayson County Middle School-Based Decision Making Council on June 29, 2017. He replaced Jim Blain, who left the middle school to become principal of the Grayson Count Technology Center.
Parker was first hired by Grayson County Schools (GCS) in 1995 as the Grayson County High School band director after spending two years at Metcalfe County High School.
Lea Ann Frank, a longtime GCS teacher and administrator, was announced as the new principal of Grayson County Middle School. She will transition into the role later next month when Parker retires after a 32.5-year career in education.
“Frank has been assistant principal at GCMS since 2019. She joined the school in 2008, teaching 8th-grade science for a year. She then moved to 6th grade, where she taught until joining the administrative team,” GCS said. “She has held a variety of leadership roles while at GCMS, including several years on the school’s Site-Based Decision Making Council. She also headed up the district’s Camp Invention summer program from 2012 – 2017.”
In making the announcement, GCS Superintendent Doug Robinson called Frank a “strong and compassionate leader. She will strive to build on the best of GCMS – both academically and culturally – providing additional opportunities for both students and staff to thrive and succeed.”
Frank is proud of the successes that GCMS has had, including its recent designation as a Blue school in the Kentucky Summative Assessment report, GCS said. Blue is the highest category a school or district can achieve.
“That’s a huge accomplishment. Our staff, they worked so hard,” she said.
In addition to academic successes, she’s eager to create new opportunities to grow the school’s thriving culture.
“I believe that when you have good culture and the kids want to be here and the staff want to be here, it improves everything. Test scores, morale, everything.”
Frank looks forward to growing more celebrations with students and staff. She believes the togetherness that large celebrations, spirit events and recognitions provide help maintain a team feeling and the strong family vibe found throughout the school.
They also build on learning opportunities.
“We have a lot of very talented staff members that we can learn from,” she noted. “I want to showcase that to encourage and help grow even more leaders in our building.”
With new curriculum being rolled out and piloted this year, Frank has been excited to see teachers using the lessons with the flexibility and creativity, making them their own.
“That teacher autonomy makes a big difference in the reception from both students and staff,” she noted.
Frank states that her primary objective as a principal is to “offer my staff and students an opportunity to pursue a lifelong love of learning and confidence to succeed.”
She is excited to build on the many earning and professional development opportunities currently in place as students and staff join together to celebrate their continued successes.
Frank holds a Bachelor’s of Science from Texas A&M University, and Master’s and Rank 1, Principal Certification from Western Kentucky University.
By Ken Howlett, News Director and Grayson Co. Schools
