Grant begins, ends career in Brownsville Area
Superintendent Dr. Gerry Grant’s 37-year career in education has come full circle. This year, Grant retired from the Brownsville Area School District, the same district from which she graduated and the same district in which she launched her career in education.
Grant said she was very eager to return to her alma mater, hoping to make a difference, hoping to make improvements and promote change.
She came back to the Brownsville area in July 2000 from the Forest Hills School District, where she worked as the assistant to the superintendent. She was up for the superintendent’s position there but decided to come home to Brownsville instead.
Grant’s visions of greatly improving the district came up against much opposition, forcing her to make crucial, often difficult decisions that were not popular with some local residents.
But Grant said her love for Brownsville Area and her passion to make improvements there were the drive she needed to make decisions in the best interest of the district.
The decision to close schools, including the Redstone Middle School, was just as emotional for Grant as it was for the local residents who complained.
Grant graduated from Redstone High School, and her first teaching job was in the Brownsville School District in 1966, the year Brownsville, Redstone and Luzerne townships became one district.
Grant worked in the school district for approximately 24 years, serving as teacher, counselor and curriculum coordinator, before she branched out, working at California University of Pennsylvania as an instructor and adjunct professor, the Intermediate Unit I as a curriculum specialist/supervisor and then Saint Francis College as an adjunct professor before moving on to Forest Hills.
But Grant said her connection and love for the Brownsville Area School District goes even deeper, as her late husband, Alfred Grant Sr., served as the principal at Cardale Elementary School until he passed away 12 years ago.
Her two children, Alfred Grant Jr. and Natalie Grant-Sharpe, are Brownsville alumni, and Grant has four grandchildren at the high school, middle school and elementary level.
Grant said every decision she makes in the district is crucial. She noted that having her own grandchildren in the district makes her increasingly aware of the effect every decision she makes has on the children. That is why she says she makes every decision based on what is best for the students.
Director John Evans said part of Grant’s dedication to the district comes from her being a native of the area. “She always has the best interest of the district at heart above all other things,” Evans said. “She is very dedicated, always concerned with the kids and their education. I think she wanted to see the area better off. She takes pride in her hometown, and she wanted to do as much as she could to make this a better place.”
Grant’s hard work and dedication has not gone unnoticed, as she recently was awarded the Robert Flynn Memorial Award for Distinguished Service from the Pennsylvania Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and also a Certificate of Appreciation from the Pennsylvania Department of Education for dedication and years of service to children of Pennsylvania and support of federal programs.
Grant said she has accomplished her goals at Brownsville, noting that she will leave the district in good financial standing, with student achievement improving and a $34 million renovation project in the works.
Director Francine Pavone said Grant directed the staff toward great improvements in the district’s curriculum and helped to develop a six-year strategic plan that already has been mostly accomplished and is still in progress. She also commended Grant for the $3 million in grant money that she was able to obtain for the district.
Pavone said Grant carefully planned her career from beginning to end.
“I think this is how she wanted to go out,” Pavone said. “Grant has been a very strong leader in the building project. She really wants to see it move forward. She wants what’s best for the kids.”
The renovation project will not be complete before Grant’s retirement, but as a citizen, Grant said she will continue to be involved with the project as much as possible. She said seeing the project completed will make her feel as if she truly accomplished her goals.
She attributes her successful career to setting high expectations in life. “Everyone has to set expectations and set them high. You might not get them all, but you get as much as you can. Most people have more potential than they show. The only way you get there is through high expectations,” she said.
She agrees that her personal affiliations with the school district added to her drive to make improvements to it.
“I live here. I’ve worked here for 27 years. I think that makes a difference. I’m proud of this place. I want to see great things happen here,” she said.