I am excited to introduce myself to the staff, students, families, and community members of Bradford Preparatory School. My name is Colleen E. Grosse and I will be joining Bradford as the high school assistant principal. I look forward to getting to know all levels of this amazing place. I have already felt the warmth from a number of staff, students, and parents. I even took a drive up this past Saturday and saw the dedication of our maintenance crew. It is my belief that a school that provides a high quality education operates as a collective, and I have certainly felt that during this short time.

Believe it or not, my path to education was anything but traditional. As a first generation college student, I learned how to navigate Rutgers Business School where I majored in Marketing and Criminology. I developed and taught a course for first year students, which stamped my love of teaching. I became certified to teach high school mathematics, and after graduation, moved to Charlotte, North Carolina from New Jersey. I became a high school mathematics teacher at Garinger High School in 2013. During that time, I wore many hats, but taught varying levels of math including foundations of Math I, Precalculus, and Advanced Placement Statistics. I even earned a certification in ESOL (English as a Second Language) curriculum. I earned my Masters of Education in 2018 from Johns Hopkins University where I studied the neuroscience behind how the brain learns and how to design teaching practices that support those changes during the different stages of development. In 2019, I served as a principal intern at Mallard Creek High School and transitioned to William A. Hough High School where I served as an assistant principal from 2019 until 2023. During that time, I earned my Post Masters Certificate in School Administration and began my doctoral degree. Most recently, I have been an assistant principal at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School working with sixth and seventh grade levels. I earned my Doctorate in Education from UNC Charlotte, where I studied teacher retention through the lens of identifying principal behaviors that influence teacher retention decisions in Title I high schools. Despite the differences in each of these places, the unifying joy I have found has been in supporting people called to this work and genuinely getting to know the people at all levels. I look forward to supporting our Bradford Bears in reaching and exceeding their goals - whether that be academic, behavioral, or social on their path to college and beyond.

Outside of school, I enjoy spending time with my younger sister, niece, and nephews who are in first, third, and sixth grade. I enjoy hosting Italian style Sunday dinners, hiking, reading all types of books, and supporting the Panthers, Mets, and Charlotte FC! I look forward to getting to know each of you in the coming months.

Go Bears!
Dr. Colleen E. Grosse